DAMAGE BOOK
TEXT FLY
WITHIN THE
BOOK ONLY
UNIVERSA
LIBRARY
OU 156128
UNIVERSA
LIBRARY
Heeramma and Venkataswami
OR
Folktales from India
Heerdmma and Venkataswami
OR
Folktales from India
M. N. VENKATASWAMI, M.R.A.S., M.F.L.S.
Author of ' Life of M. Ntigloo’, * The Story of Bobhili*, ‘ Tulsetnina/i
and Nagaya, or Folk-stories from India ’ and a Memoir
of Ralph T. H. Griffith, the Translator of Rdmdyana
WITH A PREFARATORY NOTE BY
THE REV. J. C. KNIGHT-ANSTEY OF
SURBITON (ENGLAND)
MADRAS
DIOCESAN PRESS [s.P.C.K. DEPOSITORY]
1923
All Rights Reserved
PREFACE
India is without exaggeration the home of 'the'
Eminent story-tellers in times of yore flourished in it, and
the stories presented in the present volume, after the rejec-
tion of several as spurious imitations, may be older than
the stories of Vishnu Sharma or Pilpay (Bidpai) nay,
older than the Buddhist jatakas — which, by the by, claim
the highest possible antiquity — handed down as they are
traditionally from father to son for untold generations.
These stories were collected at Nagpore, the classical
capital of the old Bhonsla kings and the present capital
of the Central Provinces, close to
‘ Where Ramagiri shadowy woods extend
And those pure streams where Sita bathed descend ’ ’
and at Secunderabad, the military station in the
Deccan. The chivalrous Rajput, the patriotic Bundela,
the bold Mahratta, the strict Mahomedan, the high-
born Brahmin, the mild Hindu, the faithful Pardeshi,
the pleasure-loving Pariah, Aryans, non-Aryans, and
aborigines, or to put the matter in another way the
astrologer, the purohit, the bazaar master, the clerk, the
mechanic, the draughtsman, the schoolboy, the com-
pounder, the chaprassi, the firewood-seller, the punka-
puller, the busybody, the gosai, the domestic servant, the
faithful Madras sepoy, the thievish tailor and the wheedl-
ing-toned shoemaker, have all contributed to my volume.
1 Translation by Prof. H. H. Wilson from Kalidasa's Meghaduta.
VI
PREFACE
The writer's late wife Heeramma, his favourite sister the
late P. Huthoolumma, his mother-in-law M. Narayana-
amma — mother of Heera, a garrulous old woman pos-
sessing a retentive memory and graphic powers of
narration — and other relatives, such as my brother-in-
law, cousins and nephews, were the narrators of some of
the most interesting tales in the collection.
The stories were collected and the work of writing them
commenced about the beginning of the year 1895. Of the
stories told me in childhood, I remember only one import-
ant one — The Loving Sister — and a few minor ones,
though one of my two paternal aunts, a much-travelled
woman, long since dead, used to tell my sisters stories of
considerable length, such as that of one Baki Bhulam-
moodoo, far into the night ; they lay beyond my compre-
hension for I was only a child then. I used to be sorry
that those interesting stories were lost to me. But those
fears were groundless. Stories are never lost : Baki
Bhulammoodoo lives in the Punjab-hero Raja Rasalu.
They migrate or travel and, at times, become suited
strangely to the mode of thought of the alien peoples to
which they have travelled. One story from Bezwada on
the Krishna (218 miles from Secunderabad) and another
heard at Nagpore (1048 miles from the latter or 830
miles from the former) resembled each other in general
characteristics though with different incidents. Besides,
folklorists are on the field. They have gone to the
diggings with alacrity to amass as much as possible
of the materials of unlettered primitive culture before
the steam-engine, electricity, and modern civilization
do their work of destruction, reducing the stories to
nothing or infusing new ideas or thoughts such as are
sure to vitiate them and make them untrue to folklore
tradition, Of the 101 stories, the first twelve have
PkEFACE
VII
appeared in the ‘ Indian Antiquary the editor of the
journal (Sir Richard Carnac Temple, second Baronet),
evincing special interest from the very outset, and now
according permission to me to republish the stories here
for which my thanks are due. They are arranged as
I wrote them. In some cases I have added a touch to
embellish a story or heighten an effect. On the other
hand I have omitted what was obscure. Yet I hope that,
on the whole, I have been faithful to primitive tradition.
To enhance the utility of this, my humble contribution
to folklore study, I have drawn up a very careful classifi-
cation of the stories on a scientific basis to the best of
my ability for the use of the student. I have also given
copious notes and appended a glossary of Indian words,
occurring in the text, and these words are termed by some
grammarians as ‘ barbarisms,’ and they become the more
so for lack of diacritical marks which the Press had not
in sufficiency ; as also added an analytical index.
My task has been no easy one and I have given much
time to it, yet no one is more aware of the short-
comings of this work or of its appendages — the classi-
fication, the notes, the glossary and the index — than the
writer himself, writing as he does in a foreign tongue and
devoid of academic training. Still if it tends with all its
defects to bring a moment’s pleasure to the gentle reader
whoever or wherever he may be (Aryan or non-Aryan On
the Albion’s Thames or India’s Ganges) the writer will
deem himself amply repaid for the labours bestowed these
four years amidst doing his duties required of him in
this work-a-day World.
In the preparation of this book the very best thanks
of the author are due to the Rev. John Lendrum, M.A., of
the Free Church Mission, and Professor of Philosophy
in the Hislop College, Nagpore, who looked through my
viii
PREFACE
papers (text of the stories only) correcting ^ them where
necessary. My thanks are also due to Shums.*ul-Ulama
Syed Ali Bilgrami, the eminent Sanskritist in charge
of the Nizam’s Public Works portfolio, for lending me
out of his library — the best that Hyderabad possesses
— Swynnerton’s ‘ Indian Nights Entertainments ’ and
iEsop’s Fables, without the former I should not have
obtained the necessary aid for the classification of the
tales — aid for which the learned folklorist is entitled to
my thanks.
One word as regards the title of the book. I have
named it after my deceased wife, the late M. Heeramma,
that lode star of my life for seven years, that thoughtful
girl, that chaste soul, that close, almost Lubbock-like
observer of ant’s habits and ways, lying with her sweet
first-born these five years in the Hindu necropolis at
Nagpore, the Naganuddi flowing by. Without dissociating
myself from one whose love was like that of a mother
I have linked my name with that of my wife and this
explanation will, I hope, absolve me from a charge of
presumption in naming the book as I have done.
M. N. V.
The Hermitage,
Secunderabad, Deccan,
October, 1898.
1 The corrections were few, as the reverend gentleman who was a learned
man and thoroughly understood the Indian mode of thought, _ did not
think fit to make unnecessary corrections. The last that I have heard of him
was from Elgin (Scotland) some time after the war was begun, in which he had
lost his grown-up son. He had been the corrector, (so may I term him in the
absence of a better word) of my stories without the least show evinced of his
wide scholarship, but I believe he is still the corrector of morals of his parish
besides being an ardent collector of stamps and coins in the best sense of the
term.
PREFARATORY NOTE
Mr. M. N. Venkataswami has kindly sent me advance
proofs of most of the folktales published in this book.
Whilst they interest mS as a humble foreign, yet sympa-
thetic, student of the life and thought of the common
people of India whom during many years residence in
their midst I found it so easy to love, my chief interest
is in the friend who sends them to me.
I leave it to others to pass critical judgment upon
the matter or style of the book itself. To me its mission*
is that it recalls the man — and his home.
As one who is convinced that India and England are
peculiarly fitted to work together for the world’s good, in
a great, mutually respecting partnership, I am also
convinced that nothing can do more for the establishment
of that partnership on an abiding foundation than the
cultivation of genuine personal friendship between
Indians and Englishmen.
For many reasons, which it would take a whole essay
to expound, this is often difficult. If there be the right
attitude on both sides, I do not think that it is more
difficult than formerly but less. Yet the right attitude
is itself a growth which may be enormously developed
by seizing every occasion and instrument for its
stimulation.
Such occasions and such instruments were generously
placed in my path by my friend Mr. M. N. Venkataswami
during my residence in Hyderabad, Deccan.
The very frankness and friendliness of their pre-
sentation lured me into a response which turned them
into ministries of grace to myself, and of sympathetic
B
X
PPEFARATORY NOTE
understanding of much that lies behind the life of a
Hindu home and its intimate relation to the' Indian’s
outlook in matters social, religious and even political.
I recall with intense pleasure the fellowship which
transmuted what might have been merely the hospitable
entertainment of an unduly honoured guest into the
higher privilege of a chat about bboks and children and
religion and the home with a friend of the family.
Memories like this do not need much stimulus from the
imagination to recreate the impressions of such inter-
course, nor to revivify the insight it gave into Indian
home life, in which the unobtrusive yet honoured and
perpetual ministry of the Hindu wife and mother
imparted fragrance and sweetness to the whole.
My friend’s services to Literature have been of no
mean order. The patient labour, the public spirit, and
the enterprise in a realm which denies the lordship of
mere commercialism, are worthy of commendation and
recognition, but, to me, the greatest thing is his personal
friendship with its revelation of the essential nearness of
Indian and Englishman and of a divinely constituted
brotherhood which has not to be created but only to be
realized.
J. C. KNIGHT-ANSTEY.
The Manse, Surbiton
England
January, 1923
The Author’s thanks, in a large measure of course,
are due to the Reverend Gentleman, his friend, for the
prefaratory note and to Mr. K. Ramaswaihi^ his nephew,
for the picture of the cenotaph.
CONTENTS
PAG^
Classification ... ... ... ... xv
1. The Thousand-Eyed Mother ... ... ... 1
2. The Loving Sister ••• ... ... ... 2
3. The Taming of the Blue-Stocking ... ... 6
4. The Able Minister and the Ungrateful King ... 9
5. The Self-sacrificing Fairy; A Story of Sirens 13
6. The Charitable Maid-Servant ... ... ... 19
7. Lalan, Princess of Rubies ... ... ... 21
8. Jambhu Raja ... ... ... ■■ 31
9. The Disguised Royal Thief ... ... ... 36'
10. The King, the Whelp, and the Minister ... ... 39
11. Kuthuveluku and Poongaveluku ... ... 40
12. The Old Woman of the Sugar-cane Field ... ... 45
13. The Pearl Merchant ... ... ... 46
14. The Brahmin, the Tiger and the Ass ; or The Origin of
Wine ... ... ... ... 49
15# The Crow and Its Ninety Eggs ... ... 51
16. The Princess and the Ponna Flowers ... 52
17. The King, the State Elephant and the Chaste Laundress. 54
18* The Simpleton, the Thieves and the Clever Mother ... 56
19. The Two Friends ... ... ... .. 59
20. The Sage and the Would-be Mother ... ... 62
21. The Learned Linguist ... ... ... 63
22. The Foolish Mendicant and the Sensible Lady ... 64
23. The Haughty Man Humiliated ... ... 66
24. The Shakespeare of India ... ... ... 66
25. The Imbecile and the Rats ... ... ... 69
26. The Robber, the Destiny-writer and the King ... 69
27. The True Recluse ... ... ... ... 72
28. The Nanga Dev ... ... ... ... 74
29. The Ill-fated Penurious Man ... ... ... 75
30. The Mosquitoes' Laughter ... ... ... 75
31. The Bhagatinaya Sadhu ... ... ... 76
32. The Hukbandand His Selfish Wife ... 80
33. The^'Mother-in-Law and the Son-in-Law ... ... 81
contents
xii
No. PAGE
34. The Prince, His Wife and the Fairies ... , ... 82
35 . The Zamindar and His Two Sons ... ... 88
36. The Two Barbers ... ... ... ... 89
37. The Over-confident Marwadi, His Wife, and the Gay
Lothaire ... ... ... ... 9l
38. The Girl of the Woodlands, Her Brothers and the
Rakshasa ... ... ... ... 93
39. The Fakeer’s Daughter and the Wicked Queen ... 96
40. The King, His Sufferings and Vow ... ... 98
41. The Girl, the Linga and the Wonderful Gift ... 99
42. Kabeerdass and Kalidass ... ... ... 100
43. The Prince and the Deceitful Hospice-keeper ... 100
44. The Brahmin, the Oilman and the Prostitute ... 103
45. The Impoverished Merchant and the Fickle-minded
Wife... ... ... ... ... 107
46. The Silly Merchant ... ... ... 108
47. The King and the Three Old Men ... ... 109
48 . The King and the Shepherd ... ... ... 1 1 1
49. Ellayi and Mullayi ... ... ... HI
50. The King and the Dervish ... ... ... 112
51. The King and the Barber ... ... 113’
52. The Crow and Its Young ... ... .■■ 113
53. The Young Man, the Police Official and the Ber Tree... 115
54. The Woman, Her Lawful Husband and Her Paramour. 116
55. The Melon-Planter and the Jackals ... ... 117
56. The Seven Princes and the Fairies ... ... 120
57. The Man and the Snake ... ... ... 124
58. The Khadira Tree and the Axe ... ... 125
59. Navlipitta and Piglipitta ... ... ... 125
60. The Milkman and the Ramayana ... ... 125
61. The Deceitful Weaver ... ... ... 126
62. The King and the Selfish Barber ... ... 127
63. The Man and His Two Wives... ... ... 127
64. The Goddess and the King ... ... ... 128
65. The Wood-Seller and the Seven Fairies ... ... 130
66. The King’s Son and the Prophecy ... ... 134
67. The Young Man and Hazari Lai of Baidar’s Daughter. 135
68. The Fox and the Ferryman ... ... • ... 137
69. The Faulty Brahman ... ... ' ... 138
CONTENTS
No. page
70. The Story of Roloo and Mudhdhaila ... ... HO
71. How Englishmen Got the Best Boons Conferred Upon
Them ... ... ... HO
72. How Englishmen Lost Their Caste ... ... HI
73. The Lilliputian and His Field ... ... ... HI
74. God, the Dog and the Cock ... ... ... 142
75. God and the Elephant ... ... 142
76. God and the Bull ... ... ■■■ H3
77. Agni and Varuna ... ■■■ H3
78. The Prince, the Medicinal Leaves and the Muhurta ... 144
79. The Fly who forgot Her Name ... 149
80. The Zamindar’s Daughter and the Wonderful Gift ... 150
81. The Brahmin, the Goldsmith and the Image of Gold ... 152
82. The Adventures of Ratnalpolchetty ... ... 153
83. The Tiger and the Ass ... ... ••• 160
84. Prabhuddeekoo and Sashiprabha ... 162
85. The Seven Princes, Their Only Sister and Her Cruel
Sisters-in-Law ... ... ... H5
85. TheOriginof Mushroom ... ... ... 167
87. Why the Mogli Flower and the Lime discarded in
Worship of Deities ... ... 167
88. The Beggar and the Tactless Charitable Lady ... 168
89. The Woman, the Fowl Curry and Her Husband ... 168
90. The Man and the Neighbour’s Fowl ... ... 169
91. The Story of the Lame Man and the Blind Man ... 169
92. The Old Woman and the Fop ... ... ... 170
93. The Family and the Leucoderma ... .. 170
94. The Monkey, the Goat and the Workman ... ... 171
95. The King and the Resourceful Chaste Woman ... 172
96. The King, the Queen and the Evil Hour ... ... 172
97. The Princess, Her Husband and Their Dead Children... 173
98. The Guru and the Simple-minded Neatherd ... 175
99. The Story of the Pishoo and the Bug ... ... 176
100. The Guru, His Disciple, the Juggling-Woman and the
Chola King and Queen ... ... ... 176
101. The Man and His Very Unkind Wife ... ... 181
Notes ... ... ... ... ... 183
Glossary ... ... ... ... 211
Index ... ... ... ... ... 219
Classificatiori
I. NURSERY TALES SERIES
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
A. Stories of the Marvellous or
Supernatural
1. Child from the Right Thumb Type. — The Fakeer’s
Daughter and the Wicked Queen .... .... 39
2. Crowned by the Elephant Type. — The Bhagat-
maya Sadhu .... .... .... .... 31
3. Faithful John Type. — The Woodseller and the
Seven Fairies .... .... ■■■• 65
4 . Horse- Iliisband Type. — Jambhu Raja .... 8
5. Illusive Deer Type. — The Seven Princes and
the Fairies .... .... .... 56
6. Inevitable Death Type — The King’s Son and
the Prophecy .... .... 66
7. Jack the Giant Killer Type — The Prince, the
Medicinal Leaves and the Muhurta .... .... 78
8. Journey to Hell Type —
(а) Prabhuddeekoo and Sashiprabha .... 84
(б) The Adventures of Ratnalpolchetty. 82
9. Life from the Dead Type —
(c) The Goddess and the King .... 64
(6) The Girl of the Woodlands, Her
Brothers and the Rakshasa ... 38
(c) The Two Friends .... .... 17
(d) The Prince, the Mediciiial Leaves and
the Muhurta .... 78
XVI
CLASSIFICATION
^ef. No.
lo whole
Story
10. Life in the Carcanel of Jewels Type —
(o) The Fakeer’s Daughter and the Wick-
ed Queen .... .... .... 39
11. Naga King Type. — The Loving Sister .... 2
12. Rat-Wife Type. — The Prince and the Deceit-
ful Hospice-keeper . . .. . .. 43
B. Stobies of Adventure and Romance
1 . All or None Type—
(fl) The Able Minister and the Ungrateful
King .... .... .... 4
(b) The Pearl Merchant .... .... 13
2. The Ass, Table and Cudgel Type. — The Adven-
tures of Ratnalpolchetty (part) .... .... 82
.3. Beast Bird Fish Type—
(a) Lalan, Princess of Rubies ... 7
(6) The Prince, the Medicinal Leaves and
the Muhurta (part) . .. .... 78
4. Bride Humbled Type —
(fl) The Taming of the Blue-Stocking .... 3
{b) The Young Man and Hazari Lai of
Baidar’s Daughter . .. .... 67
5. Bride Wager Type —
(fl) The Taming of the Blue-Stocking .... 3
(6) The Prince, the Medicinal Leaves
and the Muhurta (part) .... .... 78
(c) The Young Man and Hazari Lai of
Baidars’ Daughter (part) .... 67
{d) The Princess, Her Husband and
Their Dead Children (part) .... 97
6. Cruel Step-mother Type—
' Cfl) Jambhu Raja .... .... .... 8
(b) The Loving Sister .... 2
CLASSIFICATION
xvil
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
(c) The Seven Princes, Their Only Sister
and Her Cruel Sisters-in-Law (part).
85
7 1
Dark Sayings Type. — The King and the Shep-
herd
■■■■ •••• ■■■•
48
8-
Death from Sheer Fright Type — The Man and
the Snake
57
9.
Faithless Wife Type —
(a) The Two Friends
(b) The Woman, Her Lawful Husband
19
and Her Paramour
54
10.
Genoveva Type —
(a) Lalan, Princess of Rubies. ..
(b) The Seven Princes, Their Only Sister
7 ’
and Her Cruel Sisters-in-Law
85
11.
Gudrun Type — Kuthuveluku and Poonga-
veluku
11
12.
Inevitable Destiny Type —
(a) The Robber, the Destiny-writer and
the King
26
(b) The King, the Queen and the Evil Hour
96
(c) The Adventures of Ratnalpolchetty.
82
13.
Jealous Queen Type — The Fakeer’s Daughter
and the Wicked Queen
39
14.
Long Life from Stays Type — The King and the
Three Old Men
47
15.
Master Thief Type — The Disguised Roval
Thief
....
9
16.
Punished or Rewarded on One’s Deserts Type —
(o) The Impoverished Merchant and the
Fickle-minded Wife
45
(6) The Charitable Maid-servant
6
(c) The Silly Merchant
46
(d) The Woodseller and the Seven Fairies,
c
65
xviii
CLASSIFICATION
Ref. No
to whole
Story
17 . Search of Beautiful Wife Type. — The Prince aim
the Deceitful Hospice-keeper .... .... 43
1 8. Chaste Seeta (Pativrata) Type —
(fl) Jambhu Raja .... .... .... 8
(b) The Foolish Mendicant and the Sensi-
ble Lady .... .... .... 22
(c) The King, the State Elephant and
the Chaste Laundress .... .... 17
(d) The Self-sacrificing Fairy .... 5
(e) The Prince and the Seven Fairies (a
variant) .... .... .... 56
(/) The Two Friends .... .... 19
(g) The King and the Resourceful Chaste
Woman .... ... .... 95
1 9. Twin Brothers Type—
(a) The Girl of the Woodlands, Her
Brothers and the Rakshasa .... 38
(b) The Loving Sister .... ... 2
(c) The Self-sacrificing Fairy .... 5
(d) The Seven Princes and the Fairies (a
variant of above) .... .... 56
(e) The Seven Princes, Their Only Sister
and Her Cruel Sisters-in-Law (part). 85
20. Two Sisters who envied their Youngest Sister —
(a) The Princess and the Ponna Flowers. 16
(b) The Princes, the Medicinal Leaves
and the Muhurta .... .... 78
II. DROLLS OR COMIC TALES SERIES
A. Stories of the Exploits or Noodles
I. Contest of Fools Type. — The Two Barbers 36
CLASSIFICATI014
■ XIX
2.
Rogue and Simpleton Type —
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
(c) The Brahmin, the
Prostitute
Oilman and the
44
(6) The Monkey, the Goat and the Work-
man
94
3.
Valiant Tailor Type —
(a) The Woodseller
Fairies
and the Seven
65
(6) The Simpleton, the
Clever Mother
Thieves and the
18
4.
Wonderful Fool Type. — The
Simpleton, the
Thieves and the Clever Mother
.... ....
18
B. Tales illustrative of Tribal or Caste
Eccentricities
1. Wise Men of Gotham Type : Ridicule of the neatherd caste-
(а) The Milkman and the Ramayana 60
(б) The Guru and the Simple-minded
Neatherd .... .... .... 98
2. Wise Men of Gotham Type : Misceiianeous —
(a) The Imbecile and the Rats .... 25
(b) The • Lame Man and the Blind
Man .... .... .... 91
III. NATIONAL OR PROFESSIONAL CHARAC-
TER SERIES
A. Stories of Tribes or Families
I. *
(a) Characteristic Pride of the High Caste Lady —
The Beggar and the Tactless Charitable
Lady .... .... .... .... 88
kx CLASSiFICATlOti
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
B. Stories on the Religious Orders
(as also religious Gods and Goddesses)
1 . Middle Ages Type —
(a) The Fakeer’s Daughter and the
Wicked Queen 39
(b) The Foolish Mendicant and the
Sensible Lady .... .... 22
2. Legends of Saints Type —
(a) The Bhagatmaya Sadhu .... .... 31
(b) Kabeerdass and Kalidass .... .... 42
(c) The Guru, His Disciple, the Juggling-
woman and the Chola King and
Queen .... .... .... 100
(d) The King and the Dervish .... 50
(e) The Sage and the Would-Be Mother. 20
(/) The True Recluse .... ... 27
(g) The Faulty Brahmin ... .... 69
(h) The Guru and the Simple-minded
Neatherd ... .... .... 98
C. Stories about Barbers
1. Lucky and Unlucky Type.— The King and the
Barber. .... .... .... .... 51
2. Contented and Discontented Type. — The Two
Barbers .... .... .... .... 36
D. Anecdotes about Misers
>• . ,
The Brahmin, the Goldsmith and the
Image of Gold .... ..*. 81
CLASSIFICATION
Jcxi
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
E. Anecdotes about Co-Wives
The Man. and His Two Wives .... 63
F. Anecdotes about Trades
(a) The Deceitful Weaver .... .... 61
(b) The Brahmin, the Goldsmith and the
Image of Gold .... .... 81
G. Legends of Literary Men
(a) The Shakespeare of India .. 24
(b) Kabeerdass and Kalidass .... 42
H. Legends of Gods and Goddesses
(a) Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh (Why
the Mogli Flower and the Lime dis-
carded in Worship of Deities) .... 87
(b) Ishvara (The King, the Whelp and
the Minister) ... .... 10
(c) Ishvara (The Haughty Man Humi-
liated) .... .... .... 23
(d) Kali (The Shakespeare of India) .... 24
(e) Kali (The Two Friends) .... .... 19
(/) Parvati and Parmeshwara (The
Prince and the Deceitful Hospice-
keeper) .... .... ... 43
(g) Pilyarswami (The Melon-Planter and
the Jackals) .. . .... 55
(h) The Goddess and the King • • • 64
CLASSIFICAtlON
Icxii
(*) The Thousand-Eyed Mother
(;) The Nanga Dev
{k) The Vidatapurusha (The Robber,
the Destiny- writer and the King).
{1) Ganesha (Kuthuveluku and Poonga-
veluku)
IV. FOREIGN CHARACTER SERIES
A. Stories about Europeans
I. *
(fl) The Superiority of Englishmen, p. 140
ih) The Englishman and His High
Origin, p. 141
V. ‘ ^SOP’S FABLES ’ SERIES
A. Beast Stories and Apologues
1 . Boasting Mule Type —
(c) Ellayi and Mullayi
(£>) The Old Woman and the Fop
{c) The Tiger and the Ass
2. Borrowed Plumes Type — Navlipitta and Pigli-
pitta
3. The Ass, the Ape and the Mule Type —
(а) The Story of Roloo and Mudhdhaila
(б) The Man and His Very Unkind Wife
4. The Country Man and the]Snake Type —
(а) The Fox and the Ferryman
(б) The Old Woman of the Sugar-cane
Field
5. The Traveller and the Bear : Tit for Tat Type —
(а) The Lilliputian and His Field
(б) The Melon>Planter and the Jackals. *
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
1
28
26
11
71
72
49
92
83
59
70
101
68
12
73
55
CLASSIFICATION
xxiii
Ref. No.
to whole
Story
6. The Wind and the Sun Type — Agni and Varuna. 77
7. The Wolf and the Lamb Type. — The Tiger and
the Ass .... .... .... .... 83
8. The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing Type—
(a) The Crow and Its Young .... 52
(b) The Girl of the Woodlands, Her
Brothers and the Rakshasa .... 38
9. Wood and Clown Type.— The Man, the Khadira
Tree and the Axe .... .... .... 58
B. Question-replying Stories Type
(a) The Crow and Her Ninety Eggs .... IS
(b) The Fly who forgot Her Name . .. 79
C. Natural Products Origin explaining
Stories Type
(a) The Brahmin, the Tiger and the Ass
(Origin of Wine) .... .... 14
(b) The Daughter-in-Law, and the
Mother-in-Law (Origin of Mush-
room) .... .••. .... 86
D. World Creation Stories Type
(a) God, the Dog and the Cock .... 74
(b) God and the Elephant .... .... 75
(c) God and the Bull .... .... 76
ERRATA
Page 17
line
28
for princess read princesses.
1 1
22
1 1
4
,, reproached read reproached him.
1 }
23
1 1
19
,, whitted read whetted.
1 >
34
j )
19
,, taking read taken.
1 1
34
1 1
34
,, cause read instrumental in effecting.
1 1
35
lines
10 and 11 for Thus his wife was saved 7eai/ Thus
was his wife saved.
>>
47
line
5
for Have read (I) have.
» >
56
1 »
13
,, man’s that the Pativrata read that the
man’s Pativrata,
1 }
72
» 1
10
,, sublimary sublunary.
f f
81
J 1
3
,, came the rain down came down the
rain.
* 1
90
1 )
22
,, Khadawand read Khudawand.
j »
92
> 1
26
,, I shall read shall I
1 1
98
J I
22
,, woman read woman of sweet features.
1 1
99
> I
2
,, to the end read for the remaining part of.
f f
115
J 1
15
,, the friendship of read friendship with.
1 1
118
1 1
24
,, Soon one read Soon on.
n
192
>1
6
insert 64 between page — for.
II
206
1 1
23
for ‘ pativh'atas * read ‘ pativratas ’.
1 1
206
1 1
25
n II II 11
1 1
206
1 1
26
,, ‘ pativirata * read ‘ pativrata *.
Heeramma and Venkataswami
OR
Folktales from India
No. 1. THE THOUSAND-EYED MOTHER
Once upon a time when Ammavaru, the goddess of*
small-pox, had been making fearful havoc amongst the
inhabitants of a certain town, the fond mother of an only
son, in whom all her affections and hopes were centred,
with a view to escape the wrath of the angry Mata, fled
across hill and dale, wood and water, not knowing whi-
ther she was fleeing— such was her fright — until, in a
dense forest, she was met by an' old woman, who was no
other than the goddess herself in disguise. Said the
goddess :
‘ Daughter, whither are you fleeing ? ’
‘ Mother, I have only this son whom you see here,
and I am trying to escape from the wrath of the god-
dess, who is devastating the whole town,’ replied the
affrighted mother.
Receiving this answer to her question and seeming
not to care more about the woman’s flight, the old woman
asked her to be kind enough to search for lice in her
head, for, she added, she was very much pestered by
them. The younger woman good-humouredly began to
search for the lice, both the women squatting them-
selves ofl the ground for the purpose, in the dishevelled
2
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
hair of the old woman, when an extraordinary specta-
cle presented itself — t;he old woman’s head was full of
eyes ! Very much surprised, the young woman exclaimed :
— ‘ Your head is full of eyes, mother ; may I know who
you are ? ’
‘ Daughter,’ said the other, ‘ do you not know who I
am ? I am the Thousand-eyed mother, and how can you
think of escaping by flight from the vigilant watch of
so many eyes ? ’
At this the young mother prostrated herself at the
feet of the devi, and asked what should be done to save
her only son, who was the object of her life.
‘Return,’ said the goddess, ‘ to the town, and no harm
will befall either your son or yourself.’
With these words the devi disappeared, and the woman
and her son, who had thus ingratiated themselves into
her favour, pursued their course back to the town. The
goddess, true to her word, preserved them in the midst
of the pestilence which raged on all sides, attacking all
without any distinction.
No. 2. THE LOVING SISTER
Once upon a time there lived a king, who had by way
of issue, a son and a daughter by his first wife. The
mother of the prince and princess died when they were
young; and to add to their grief, the queen, whom their
father married after the death of their loving mother,
persecuted them with a hatred that rendered their position
wellnigh unbearable. The sun could not go down with-
out the lodgment by the stepmother with the King of
some report or other against the juveniles for no fault
of their own, except their existence on this earth in
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
3
general ; and not being satisfied with what she thought
were probably minor complaints, the cruel persecutor
spoke thus to her husband one day : —
‘ My Lord, it seems to me that your daughter is a bad
character. Look, she has the appearance of pregnancy.’
The king heard the calumny and nodded his head as
much as to say ‘ Yes,’ and thus afforded a fresh oppor-
tunity for the further persecution of the prince and
princess : so immersed was he in his new love and
entangled in the wiles of his plotting wife. Far differ-
ent was the case with the prince when he heard that the
character of his sister, notwithstanding her tender
years, was calumniated by the stepmother, for this so*
exasperated him that he, taking his sister with him, left
the palace of his father, who had now become a tool in
the hands of his queen.
Having left the palace the prince and the princess did
not remain long in their father’s territory, but repaired to
a distant country, being afraid of falling again into the
clutches of their obdurate st^mother. There they
lived without being persecuted, the prince given to the
pleasures of the chase and leading the life of an inde-
pendent country gentleman. On returning one day from
one of his hunting expeditions, the prince saw a snake,
after having regaled itself, about to enter the mouth of
his sleeping sister. He at once cut short its career by a
stroke of the scimitar which hung by his waist-belt,
and without awakening his sister and telling her of
what had happened, he threw away the dead reptile and
thought within himself thus : —
‘ Ah ! I now understand that this is the reptile that
made my little sister appear pregnant and thus furnished
a ground to our step-mother for calumniating the innocent
girl, notwithstanding her tender years. This is thci
4
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
reptile that created an inordinate hunger in my sister, as
if she was a glutton ; and glutton, I know, she .is not.’
It chanced that the remains of the dead snake fell into
one of the upper rooms of the mansion, and they grew
into beautiful lilies of sweet fragrance. The prince came
to where these were one day, and was very much
surprised that the plants had grown in such a place
spontaneously without being planted by him ; and
inferring that some evil might befall him or his sister by
reason of his having in his position this unwished for
botanical treasure, probably surcharged with mischief,
he always kept the room padlocked, keeping the key with
him. But one day he left the key at home, and curiosity
led the princess to open the door of this very room,
where to her extreme joy, she found lilies of the first
magnitude blossoming with flowers, with which she
thought within herself to decorate the head of her
brother one day.
It was the wont of the princess to comb the hair of
her brother occasionally, and one day, when the prince
was taking his siesta, she combed his hair, oiled it, and
thinking that something was wanting to impart beauty
to the beautiful glossy j’et black hair, the delectable
lilies with their sweet-scented flowers stood before her
mind’s eye. On this without a second thought she stole
away, without making any noise or awakening her brother
to the room where the plants were, and fetched one flower.
Hardly had the beautiful flower been put into the hair of
the prince than he turned into a large snake and in this
strange form wriggled out of the room. Very much
troubled in spirit on account of the strange transformation
of her brother due to the lily, the princess began to
lament bitterly, and crying, ‘ Brother ! brother,’ followed
the snake wherever it went.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
5
The snake very soon entered a dense forest, and
thither too, the sister, unmindful of herself, followed.
Hard by the forest was a mound of earth, which the
reptile entered through one of the holes. The grief of
the princess at this juncture was at its height, and her
cries were heard for miles around.
It so happened that a neighbouring king was then
hunting in the forest, when his ears caught the cries of
distress. Without losing a minute he summoned one of
his servants and spoke to him thus : —
‘ I hear the lamentation of a woman in distress in
that direction. Go and ascertain the cause of it.’
The servant repaired to the spot whence the lamenta*
tion came, approached the distracted fair lady, and re-
spectfully enquired into the cause of her grief ; but
eliciting no reply — so much was she under the power of
the paroxysms of her grief — he went back to his master
and reported the unsuccessful result of his errand.
Thereupon the king himself, who was of a tender
heart, went to where the princess was, consoled her, and
assuaged her grief to a considerable extent ; yet his attempts
to ascertain the cause of the grief were as futile as his
servant’s, owing to the bewildered state of the mind of the
princess, caused by extreme anguish at the loss to her of
her brother, thus metamorphosed. But he took her to
his dominions, where, under his kind treatment and after
the lapse of time, her poignant grief subsided to some
extent, when the king, finding her to be an accomplished
lady and of royal blood, married her. What the grief was
she did' not disclose, for a considerable time, to her hus-
band, much less to others ; and it was only when she
became a mother that she narrated to the king in detail
the first misfortune of the loss of her only brother. ' On
this the affectionate husband, who was very much
6
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
affected by the recital, resolved within himself to relieve
the anxiety of his beloved wife, and repaired, -followed
by the queen, to the mound in the forest, and had it dug
up, reaching the very bowels of the earth, when veritably
a snake appeared. On the appearance of this reptile the
sister with a significance, and as if by instinct, threw on it
the lily, which she had treasured up all the long years
since it fell off the head of her transformed brother oB
that never-to-be-forgotten day. In a moment the
prince, her brother, stood before her to her infinite joy,
equally shared by her royal husband. Great was the
rejoicing in the city when the rumour spread that the
queen’s brother, who had been metamorphosed into a
snake and for whom the queen had been stricken with
grief for so long, had again taken human form.
No. 3. THE TAMING OF THE BLUE-
STOCKING
Once upon a time, in a certain country, there lived a king
who had an only daughter. Her he loved passionately,
for she was his only hope, as he had no son to continue
the royal line. So to make up for the want of a son,
the king deviated from the general rule and put his
daughter to school as soon .as she began to understand,
and spared neither labour nor monej^ in getting for her,
as she progressed in her studies and her mind expanded
with age till she could understand abstruse subjects,
teachers from distant countries who were eminent in all
the departments of knowledge. In course of time, under
the instruction of these teachers, the princess became'
proficient or seemed to be so in all the departments of
knowledge. But in the domain of poetry, she had* shown
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
7
an aptitude rivalling that of her teachers in versification.
By the time her education might be said to be complete,
she advanced towards womanhood and, with the consent
of her royal father, she issued a proclamation to the effect
that she would bestow her affections, irrespective of
rank or caste, on any one who would recite one sloka
composed by himself at each step of the flight of thirty
steps leading to the princess’ palace, and five slokas at
the place where the steps came to an end, with the stipu-
lation that the theme of the last five slokas chould be
original, i.e. that the subject of them was not to be met
with in the books.
Many were the princes and plebeians who tried their*
luck in metrical composition in order to obtain the
princess in marriage and failed. There was not a
single exception, and so there was formed an impression
in the mind of the princess that man is a useless being
and quite inferior to the fair sex in point of intellec-
tual attainment. To strengthen the impression it chanced
that one day, when she was pulling off the skin of a
plantain, a poor boy, who was passing by the palace, took
up the plantain skin and ate it, evidently with the view
of checking the pangs of hunger. At this the princess
exclaimed : —
‘ What ! Is the worth of man, who is said to make
a great noise in the world, only such that he will eat the
skin of a plantain thrown away by a woman ? ’
A bold maid, who had seen life, and had been in the
service of the princess for a number of years, said at
once in reply to the exclamation : —
‘ Oh ! Princess, man should not be slightingly
spoken of, and, who knows, the very boy you talk so
lightly of might become your husband.’
The 'overbearing princess replied to the servant-maid
8 ,
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
that the realization of her hope was impossible, though
it might be within the bounds of possibility.
This conversation was overheard by the poor boy, who
had been the laughing-stock of the princess, as being in
her opinion typical of man as apart from woman.
The boy, who was impressionable and intelligent,,
notwithstanding his extreme poverty, revolved in his
mind the conversation he had heard, and at once made
his way to an adjacent hermitage, and narrated the
incident to the well-disposed gosains living there, who
heard it with wrapt attention. In the end, he asked them
what should be done to raise himself to such a pitch in
intellectual attainment as to recite the stipulated thirt;^-
five stanzas, and to marry the very princess who had
despised him, so that he might show the fallacy in the
princess’ argument that man is inferior to woman.
Being pleased with the boy’s simple narrative, and
still more so the ambition displayed under his rags and
tatters, the gosains, to the best of their ability, gave the
boy a sound liberal education, in which prominence was
given to metrical composition. On the completion of this
education, this favoured protege of the gosains studied
the best models . of poetry in order to effectually tame
the princess’ pride by rivalling her in poesy, marriage
with her being regarded as of secondary importance.
Fortified thus by knowledge, the lad composed
thirty-five stanzas, into the last five of which he skil-
fully introduced words signifying pepper, aniseed,
cumin-seeds, mustard and durhha grass (Agrostis linearis)
to impart originality to them as required in the royal
proclamation. So one day, followed by his friends the
gosains, he went to the royal court, announced his busi-
ness, recited one stanza at each of the flight of thirty
steps, approaching the princess’ palace and five on an
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA Q
original theme at the place where the approaches ended.
Thus was won the princess to the great joy of all who
regarded her as invincible in her special line.
In accordance with the promise made in the procla-
mation, the marriage of the princess with the ripe scholar
who had won her by his own abilities, was celebrated in
due time, and when the princess was about to be led to
the nuptial couch the bold maid-servant, who was an
advocate of the superiority of man, as we have already
seen, pointed out to her mistress that the very boy whom
she had despised had now become her’ husband.
On this the imperious pedant committed suicide by
falling on a sword.
No. 4. THE ABLE MINISTER AND THE
ungratefuj. king
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a king
who had an able minister. The minister managed the
affairs of the State so well, and was so just in his deal-
ings as a public man that none dare cast reflections or
heap reproaches upon him. Afraid of his popularity, his
royal master sought an occasion to find fault with the
minister so that he might destroy his reputation and
even himself.
Accordingly the king summoned his minister one day
and gave him a pearl of great price for safe custody,
stipulating that the minister should return the valuable
pearl whenever his royal master desired it. In giving
the pearl into the minister’s keeping, the king entertained
the hope of getting it back furtively, and thus gaining
the opportunity of finding fault with him that he
sought.^
2
10 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
The minister took the pearl and gave it to his wife,
asking her to keep it carefully, but in the meantime,
the king employed every means, false or foul, to become
possessed of the pearl. For this purpose he made a
serving-woman get herself engaged under the minister’s
wife. In course of time this serving-woman ingratiated
herself into the favour of the minister’s wife, and one
day asked her mistress to array herself in all her para-
phernalia, for she said she was very anxious to see how
her mistress looked when thus bedecked.
The minister’s wife, though vain, was ignorant of the
tricks of the, world ; so she dressed herself in her best
robes and adorned her person with very valuable trinkets
of exquisite workmanship and showed herself to the
deceitful servant-woman. The woman, on looking at
the minister’s wife, at once said : —
‘ Madam, you look beautiful in the apparel and
ornaments you now wear, but an additional beauty would
be imparted to you if you would ornament your person
with the pearl belonging to the king, which you have
now in your keeping.’
Flattered thus, the vain lady at once unlocked a
casket and out of it took the pearl that was reposing
there, and with it further adorned her already much-
adorned person. On this she received a profusion of
praise from the serving-woman, and exulting in the
promises lavished on her she became unmindful of
her personal adornments. This gave the serving-woman
the opportunity she wanted to carry off the pearl to
the palace.
The Raja, on receiving the pearl, had it thrown into
the deep waters of the blue sea, and the next day called
upon his minister to return the object of great price en-
trusted to him for safe keeping. The minister went to his
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
. 11
mansion and asked his wife to bring the pearl which he
had given her to keep. She searched amongst the caskets
of jewellery, and in the thousand and one folds of her
robes, but all to no purpose ; for how could she get what
had been removed from her without her knowledge and
by sheer craft ?
Not blaming his wife, but cursing his own fate, the
minister reported the disappearance of the pearl to the
king who, expecting as much, gave him a week’s time for
the production of the pearl, failing which the minister
was to suffer the extreme penalty of the law. The
minister feeling that it was not possible to find the lost
pearl, and that in consequence his end had approached,*
sold off his vast landed estates, and with the proceeds of
these and with the money he had in hand gave grand
feasts and magnificent boisterous dances, enjoying him-
self greatly, though fully knowing that he was soon to
die.
On the last of the seven days’ time given him, he
called his wife and said ; — ‘ My love, I am now going
to the seashore with fishing-tackle to fish, and you
must cook the fish I shall bring. For, before I die
to-morrow, I wish to eat a fish dish specially prepared
by your loving hands.’ With these words the minister
went to the seashore and in due time returned with
only one fish. This he gave to his wife and went to
enjoy the company of his friends for the last time.
His wife, who was heavy at heart for her husband was
to die the morrow, ripped open the belly of the fish in
order to dress it, when to her amazement, she found a
pearl. She recognized it to be the one which her
husband had given her, for which the minister was to
suffer capital punishment the next day. As soon as the
preparation of the dish was over, she dressed herself in
12
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMl OR
her best garments, decked herself in all her silver and
gold ornaments and anxiously awaited her husband.
In due course the minister returned. Struck with the
change in his wife — a beaming face and noble attire as
contrasted with her rueful countenance and careless dress
since her husband’s doom — he said in an angry and sar-
castic tone (for in a moment of weakness like this the
thought of his approaching end rather unmanned him,
though he had tried to banish in pleasure the terrors of
death): —
‘ I am to be taken to the gallows to-morrow and you
are in jubilant spirit ? Your happy countenance, your
dress and ornaments are visible signs of it — as if I would
remain with you for many a long year and not for a
day only.’
Oh dear lord,’ she cried, ‘ do not be sorrowful.
There is now no cause for sorrow, for God has removed it
from us. Take your meal and satisfy yourself, and
I shall explain all. So replied the wife, and after
ministering to her husband’s wants, she told him how she
had in a miraculous manner come by the pearl. She
showed it to him. He was overjoyed and thanked
God.
On the last day for the production of the pearl, the
Raja’s servants came to the minister’s mansion with the
message that his presence was required at court. The
minister, however, was in no hurry, but about four o’clock
in the afternoon, after taking a nap and a light meal,
he went to court, and on the King’s asking for the pearl,
‘ Here it is,’ said the minister, producing the valuable
^hell. He then left the court abruptly to the great chag-
rin of the bad-hearted King, and not only that, he left
the kingdom to seek his fortune
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
13
No. ■5\ THE SELF-SACRIFICING FAIRY :
A STORY^OF SIRENS
Once upon a time, in a certain country there lived a king
who had seven sons, all advancing or advanced towards
manhood. I he father loved the princes very tenderly j
so, when he learned of their fifm determination to see the
world, he addressed them thus : —
‘ My beloved sons, with great reluctance I permit
you to see the world in order to gain experience of it, or,
to use your own words, to put a finishing touch to your
high and manly accomplishments as befitting nobles of
the first order. But for your own welfare, I cannot
refrain from tendering you a piece of advice, viz., that
you should go in the seven directions ; but under no
circumstances make the slightest acquaintance with the
eighth. For in connection with that direction 1 have
heard thrilling accounts that have made my hair to
stand on end.’
The princes travelled in the seven directions, and
found the countries traversed as uninteresting as they
were devoid of adventures— adventures which would at
least compensate for their trouble ; so, consulting amongst
themselves, and setting aside the advice of their father,
they resolved to extend their travels in the eighth
direction also.
In their travels in the eighth direction the Tirothers were
enchanted with the varied scenery of the pleasant country,
the sweet valleys covered with verdure, the distant blue
mountains of every imaginable altitude, with the primeval
forest abounding in trees — evergreen and decidious —
' Though no doubt ' improvgd ’ by the English rendering given it by the
recorder. <his is a remarkable tale, quite out of the ordinary run of Indian
folktales. — Editor, Indian Antiquary.
14 heeramma and venkataswami or
of thick foliage, resounding with the melodious notes
of some of Nature’s famous songstresses, with the
beautiful sheets and wide expanses of limpid waters, with
artistic orchards of luscious fruits and delectable gardens
of shrubs and odoriferous plants, carrying through the
agency of the wind for miles around sweet fragrance
from their chalices, side ^by side with the charmingly
beautiful harmonies of music that emanate from the eighth
direction in full volume of sound ; and it was by these
charmingly beautiful strains of music, resembling those of
the Apsaras of the Indra’s heavens above, that the
brothers were bewitched. So, with a view to hnd out
Whence they came or who shared in them, the intrepid
travellers went to the furthermost end of the eighth direc-
tion, and to their great surprise discovered there a magni-
ficent abode of fairies, which was responsible for the
delicious music, with which our heroes, being friends of
that fine art, were so delighted.
The inmates of this solitary magnificent abode, who
were seven fairies of great personal beauty, and whom
the brothers found to be the participators in the music,
received the princes with every mark of kindness, and the
latter inferring at once from the outward signs that the
former were greatly in love with them, and harbouring no
suspicions of danger arising from that quarter, returned
the love, and made them their consorts by mutual agree-
ment. For some days the princes lived with the fairies
in great amity, enjoying ambrosial viands, delicious
drinks — hot and cold — melodious music — vocal and
instrumental, scented baths, and wearing the finest,
lightest and the most valuable of clothing.
But one day the youngest of the princes observed that
his wife — the youngest fairy — had turned her back
and was weeping bitterly, while taking her dinner. For
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
15
some reason or other he did not ask his wife about the
matter, neither did he ascertain the cause of it from other
sources. But when this continued for three or four days,
the husband asked his brothers in a general sort of way,
and at the same time without mistrusting his fairy wife,
whether their wives also wept, as his did. On receiving
a reply in the negative, he asked the fairy one day as to
the cause of her sorrow.
‘ I am sorry for you,’ she replied, ‘ because I have a
great love for you. And the day is approaching when you
will be killed along with your brothers, and this will
happen on the occasion of a festival amongst us fairies,
which is fast approaching.’
The prince narrated what he had heard to his brothers,
who, realizing that they had fallen into dangerous hands,
advised him, for their common safety, to ask the fairy
what should be done to avert this catastrophe.
He accordingly asked, and the fairy, possessing a
very kind heart, replied : —
‘My lord, I advise you,, as also ask you to tell
your brothers to show signs of extreme disgust or dis-
contentment (such as, amongst others, of rending your
clothes, throwing your turbans to the ground, etc.), to
charge the fairies with inattention, to raise complaints on
every possible occasion in the matter of viands, drinks,
baths and wearing apparel, and most important of all
to break the legs of your horses without the knowledge
of the fairies. On this the fairies will press to know
the reason of your general discontent, and then you should
tell them in detail of your being displeased with them in
every way and also impress on them the fact, that
nothing short of those horses that neigh in the middle of
the night will satisfy you by way of compensation
for the 'Unrivalled steeds incapacitated by the breaking
16
HliERAMMA AND VKNKATASWAMI OR
of their legs and now in a dying state. It is by possess-
ing these wonderful animals, which have the power of
saving those riding on them in an emergency, that you
will set yourself free from the calamity that is overhang-
ing you. Thus I advise for your own preservation and
for the preservation of my lord’s brothers, and in so
doing I am endangering myself it is true, but I do not
consider it a danger if my fir.st sweet love and his
beloved blood relations are saved from destruction by
the sacrifice of my frail self.’
The husband was extremely pleased with the advice
of his wife, marked by the ring of sincerity, truth and
^rue love, and communicated it to his brothers.
The brothers did as advised to the very letter ; and
the fairies, coming to know of the grievances of the
princes which made them discontented, promised to
remedy them, and also promised to give the horses,
distinguished from ordinary animals by neighing in the
middle of the night, on the festival day which was
approaching.
Thou'nh the fairies promised to give the horses, they
wondered as to which amongst them could have revealed
the secret about these mysterious animals, which they
thought they only knew ; and suspicion with justice fell
on the youngest fairy, whose kindliness of heart the
sisters were aware of, as distinguished from their own
relentless ones. This suspicion the six sisters locked in
their breasts.
In due time the festival of the fairies came, and
on the festival day the seven sisters took luxurious baths,
put on the finest garments of rainbow colours, and,
providing themselves with the materials of worship,
reached the steps of a temple not far off from their
abode, when the youngest fairy was asked to hold the
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
17
bridles of the wonderful animals which were at the time
standing -ready in their trappings. The six elder sisters
went inside and for some time remained in the place of
worship ; but as they came out they ate up their
youngest sister. The princes at this juncture were ready
for any imaginable emergency, warned as they had been
of the festival beforehand. They mounted the animals
with • a heroic spirit, and instantly were the seven
brothers divided from the weird land of the fairies by an
interval of seven seas.
Thus the seven heroes providentially escaped, through
the' instrumentality of the steeds that had the power of
saving those who were upon them at any cost, from the,
cannibal fairies and arrived in a certain kingdom.
The king, on hearing from the courtiers of the arrival
in his country of miraculous horses in which he had no
belief, sent for the owners of them, and in the first
instance enquired who they were, and, on receiving a
reply that they were common itinerant travellers, question-
ed them no further as to their horses.
But the king’s three daughters of great loveliness and
refined accomplishments, with their true feminine dis-
cernment, perceived in the young men no ordinary indivi-
duals of plebeian blood, but either princes or sons of
a royal race travelling in cognito in search of adventures,
and believed at the same time that their horses were no
ordinary animals. And, therefore, from the time the
princes set foot in their court, the princess were enamour-
ed of them, and, after the lapse of some time, obtained
their parents’ consent to wed those three of the brothers,
whom they liked most amongst the seven for qualities of
head and heart.
But the princes greatly objected to marry, for by
the alliance they averred that three of them would lead a
3
18
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
conjugal life, and the rest that of celibates ; and this
state of things, they said, would not meet .with the
approbation of the gods, not to speak of man.
On hearing this, the king replied : —
‘ My sons, I am pleased with what you say so
sensibly, and propose a remedy for the matter. The
remedy is, that a neighbouring king has four daughters,
accomplished and of unrivalled beauty, whose hands,
with the consent of their father, I shall ask and obtain for
four of you, and solemnize the marriage simultaneously
with the marriage of three of your brothers with my own
three daughters-’
In due course, the bridal of the princes had been
celebrated with pomp and glory, befitting grand persons.
For a considerable time, the princes lived in every luxury,
ease and enjoyment with their spouses of unsullied
purity, in the kingdom of their respective fathers-in-law.
But one day they actually remembered their parents, and
quick as thought asked their fathers-in-law concerning
such and such a kingdom, admitting for the first time to
the extreme satisfaction and bewilderment of the latter
that they were the sons of the by no means minor king
who dwelt there. The princes then made preparations
to go, and, selecting an auspicious day, started amidst
the blessings of their new relatives, followed by their
wives, their wonderful horses, and their retinue, and
reached their fatherland.
Their father and mother, who were almost blinded
by constant weeping for their sons whom they thought to
be lost, were now very much gratified to see them safe
and sound once more in their midst ; but the former,
notwithstanding the gratification, had a great mind to
inflict condign punishment, and it was only when his
wife brought to his notice their extreme dutifulness to
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
.19
him, excepting this breach, that he excused them half-
heartedly. Yet he could not refrain from expressing
his regret that they should have set aside his advice,
and thus reduced him and their mother to mere skele-
tons.
No. 6, THE CHARITABLE MAID-SERVANT
Once upon a time, in a certain country, there lived a
king, who was notorious for his stinginess. Being no
friend even to almsgiving in the abstract, he went so far
as to tell his wife to see that not a single ear of corn
went beyond the threshold ; much less was she ever to
give a handful of rice, wheat, or any of the pulses to the
poorest human being out of the granary. The king was
as niggardly in his own household as he was uncharitable
to others ; and the daily rations for himself and his wife
were a ser of wheat flour. This the queen, following the
instructions of her lord, used to give, after carefully
weighing it, to a maid-servant to make cakes with ; and
the cakes were weighed after they had been baked, so
that it might be known for certain that no flour, not even
a grain, had been pilfered.
Now the maid, who used to cook the meals for the
king and queen, was of a charitable disposition by
nature ; so, notwithstanding the weighment of the flour in
the first instance, and then of the cakes when baked, she
used to pilfer one-eighth ser of the flour, putting in its
place an exactly similar amount of fine firewood ashes.
With what she pilfered she used to make a cake, baking
it along with the others, and passing it through a drain
to a needy beggar, who was the recipient of her charity
in this manner for a number of years.
26 heefamma and venkataswami or
Now a foreign potentate, who had had an eye on the
possessions of the king for several years, appealed with
great suddenness one day before the gates of the royal
castle, and began operations for taking it. His forces
were so superior that the castle seemed to be lost, when
there arose before the king’s vision, standing upright, an
innumerable number of chapdtis (cakes), close to one
pother, which shielded the king, and prevented his
small force from being overwhelmed by the enemy. Thus
was the kingdom saved, which, had it not been for the
protection of his small army in this miraculous manner,
would have been lost to the king. The vision of the
•protecting cakes remained in the king’s mind for many a
day ; so, one day, he sent for his queen and asked her
what the vision meant. She could not explain the
matter ; so the king turned to the maid-servant who
cooked meals for him, and enquired of her. Before
explaining anything, she asked for the liberty of speech,
and when this was granted, the maid, preparing herself
for either good or evil, made a clean breast of the
whole affair — how she used to pilfer the wheat flour,
prepare a cake of it, and pass it through a drain
to a beggar.
It was ‘ those cakes,’ the agitated damsel added, ‘ that
saved you, O king, from the invaders ; for the charity,
though I was the humble instrument of it, was solely and
wholly yours, and you have reaped the benefit, not only
fof yourself, but even more for our sake — for servants,
subjects, and all.’
Pleased with the sagacity of the maid-servant, as also
with her eloquent address, he made her his queen,
making the former queen change places with her. The
king did thus for the reason that she should have exer-
cised her faculty of understanding and discriihinated
Folktales from india
21
between right and wrong, though he had, in an evil hour,
laid upoij her the injunction not to be charitable.
It need not be said that the king was ever afterwards
charitable. Nay, his name became proverbial, and his
newly-made queen found wider scope in her new affluent
position as queen for the exercise of her favourite virtue.
No. 7. LALAN, PRINCESS OF RUBIES
Once upon a lime in a certain country there lived in
great amity the son of a carpenter, the son of the KoLwal,
the son of the minister, and the son of the king. Finding
the absence of adventures in their own country irksome
they resolved amongst themselves to go in search of them
abroad. So in due course they started, reaching an out-
of-the-way place on the first evening, llere, for their
safety, they agreed amongst themselves to keep watch
during the night by turns.
The carpenter’s son kept the first watch. But hardly
had he begun his watch when there appeared near him a
beautiful young woman, making a musical sound by the
jingling of silver bells which adorned her ankles. On
finding, however, the watcher awake, she retreated a
hundred yards in the twinkling of an eye. On this the
carpenter’s son spoke within himself thus : ‘ Oh ! what
have I done ? By my vigilance I have been the cause at
this time of night of driving away one — it may be a
sister or a daughter-in-law standing perhaps in need of
human help in this unfrequented desert.’
The woman, divining these thoughts, retraced her
steps, and taking her seat gracefully on the watcher’s
knee, carried on a loving conversation ; but as soon as
he became sleepy, she ate him up and his steed together
with the saddle, bridle and all.
2i HEfiRAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
It was now the turn of the KotwaVs son to keep the
second watch. When he went to his post at the allotted
time he did not find the carpenter’s son there. He
inwardly reproached for having run away and jeopardiz-
ing his companions, remarked that the culprit’s relatives
should be hanged for this breach of faith.
As in the case of the carpenter’s son, the woman with
the jingling ornaments came near the KotwaVs son, and,
on finding him awake, quick as thought went back a
hundred yards. But when there came into his mind
kindly thoughts, the captivating seducer, divining them,
retraced her steps, and coining up to the KotwaVs son,
§at on his knee, and began talking pleasantly. Hardly had
the watcher began to feel sleepy, when she gulped him
down, and also his steed, saddle and bridle, for she was
an ogress.
It was now the turn of the minister’s son to watch.
On commencing his watch, he noticed the absence of
both his predecessors and reproached his faithless com-
panions to himself for having deserted the prince,
and at the same time uttered a threat that he would get
both the culprits’ relatives hanged for this breach of faith.
But then the same beautiful woman approached, and,
on finding the minister’s son awake, went back a hundred
yards in the twinkling of an eye. When, however,
the minister’s son began to be sorry for being the cause
of driving away a woman at such a time of night in a
wild country, the fair creature, retracing her steps, came
to him, and gracefully sitting down upon his knee, began
to speak the sweet language of love. But the moment
the watcher felt sleepy, he was eaten up, his steed
sharing the same fate, together with the saddle and the
bridle.
The watch of the king’s son followed that 'of the
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
23
minister’s son. On finding himself alone and deserted
a.s it seemed .by his three companions, he exclaimed : —
‘ I do not know what value my friends have put upon
their lives, which are at the best only precarious ; but by
deserting me in spite of their profession of love, they have
surely held their lives dear.’
Hardly was this exclamation uttered when the king’s
son espied the beautiful young woman coming towards
him, who, as before in the twinkling of an eye, retreated
a hundred yards on seeing him awake. ‘ Men grow by
years, but princes grow by days ’, runs the proverb ;
so the prince at once suspected foul play. For he rea-
soned : — how could a woman cover a hundred yards in*
the twinkling of an eye, unless she be some- Bala or evil
spirit ? With this in his mind, he troubled by his loneli-
ness at once climbed a tree. The ogress knew that she
was discovered, but, taking advantage of the prince’s
solitary position, approached the tree and began to shake
it, having first whitted her appetite on the steed tethered
close by to a stake. But the prince, firmly planted on
one of the uppermost branches, would not come down j
while the ogress sat at the base of the tree, expecting
the climber every moment to come down, or fall a prey to
her out of sheer fright.
Now it so happened that at this time a king arrived
in that desert country in the course of his travels with a
large retinue of followers, some of whom were despatched
to various parts in search of water. Some of these,
conring to the tree where the prince was, asked him to
come down.
‘ Oh no, I will not come down, for I am sure
to be eaten by the woman whom you see sitting below,’
was the reply that descended in clear tones from one of
the uppermost branches of the tree.
24
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
On this the followers turned to the woman for an
explanation. She had replied that she was waiting for
her insane husband to come down, and then there came
from the top of the tree the question — what had become
of the climber’s three companions — the carpenter’s son,
the KotivaVs son, and the minister’s son, besides their
steeds and his own steed ? She replied reasonably
enough that they must have gone to slake their thirst,
and thus the followers of the king believed in the
insanity of the prince. Pleased with the beauty of the
woman, they asked her whether she would go with them
for safety to their king, as she would be helpless
•in such a wild country with an insane husband. After
slightly demurring, not to arouse suspicion, she
consented, and so they took her in a palanquin to their
master.
In due course, the palanquin was set down in the
camp of the king, who was exceedingly glad to behold
so fair a person emerge from it. Sympathizing with her,
because of her insane husband, and offering her his
protection, he conceived a violent passion for the
woman ; and it need hardly be said that the ogress,
before long, became one of the favourite queens. Her
loving husband, on reaching his own country, con-
structed for her specially a sumptuous palace.
The ogress-queen, exulting in the fact that there
was an unlimited number of elephants, camels and
horses belonging to the king, to satisfy her instinctive
hunger, began swallowing them up night after night.
The disappearance of the great beasts was so rapid, that
the king was in a quandary as to how to apprehend the
robber who was so quickly making away with his
property. So he issued a proclamation promising a
handsome reward to any one who should give information
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
25
that would lead to the detection of the crime, which
had for so long a time evaded all vigilance.
The reading of the proclamation in the vicinity of
the ogress-queen’s palace attracted her attention, and
sending for one of the officials concerned, she informed
him that she was in a position to give the information
required, and hence was anxious to see the king without
delay. With great haste came the king, whom the
ogress at once took to the chief queen’s palace. The
unfortunate woman’s cot was removed from her sleeping
apartment, and men were employed to dig the ground
underneath it ; when lo and behold, the bones of
elephants, horses and camels were found ! Now through
a stratagem of the ogress-queen, the bones had found
their way there without the knowledge of any one —
either of the chief queen or of her maid-servants — and
seemed to prove in the clearest way that the chief queen,
though then carrying a babe in her womb, subsisted on
huge beasts, as if she were an ogress. The king on this
evidence, without feeling the slightest compassion for
his queen and her unborn babe, ordered her to be
taken to a forest and then and there beheaded.
In due course, the executioners came and took her to
the forest, but when they unsheathed their swords to
behead so delicate a creature in accordance with the royal
mandate, their courage failed them. So putting back
the swords into the scabbards, the executioners, whose
hearts resembled not the black stony heart of their king,
killed a doe and took its eyes to the king, saying that
His Majesty’s commands had been obeyed, and that
these were the signs.
In the forest, where she was left to live as best she
could without revealing her identity, the Rani built
herself a hut, in which she sustained life on the fruit
4
26
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
and berries growing around her, and in course of time
gave birth to a male child. The child grew as the
years advanced, and the mother used to make for him,
out of shreds from her sari, slings with which, in his
tiny hands, he used to bring down small game, such as
birds and sometimes harts and roes. But how could
they maintain themselves on berries and fruits and occa-
sional small game ?
So the young prince said to the mother one day : —
‘ Mother, I hear of a sadabarth, and I am anxious to
go.’ His mother consented, and, at the time of his
departure, put a ruby in his liingoti or loin-cloth, to see
whether this would effect a meeting between herself and
her husband the king, or whether the latter would make
out the prince from his royal appearance.
While receiving his share at the sadabarth, the ruby
fell out of the boy’s loin-cloth, and a priest stooping
down picked it up, and would not restore it, although
the youthful owner persisted in demanding it. Seeing the
determination of the child to have his lawful property,
the priest gave it over to the king, who questioned the
child as to how he came by such a gem when the
necessaries of life were wanting to him.
But the only answer he received was — ‘Give me
the ruby, give me the ruby.’ With a view to test
whether the precious stone actually belonged to the boy,
the king put it in a tray along with other precious gems,
and told the tiny owner to distinguish it from others.’
‘ You are a king, and hence can distinguish
precious stones. I can, too ’ ! Saying this the boy went
to the tray, and picked out his lal (ruby), exclaiming a
the same time that he would fill a tank with such lals
in six months, if the king would fill a similar tank with
pearls. This wager was accepted by the king.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
27
Having received his dole, the young prince returned
to his mother’s hut, and, on giving it to her, told of the
wager. She was exceedingly sorry, and reproached
herself for having, in an evil hour, put the ruby in the
boy’s loin-cloth. But no persuasion could deter the
young man from going in search of lals in accordance
with the wager laid.
Accordingly he started, and in the first stage of his
journey slept underneath a tree having first killed with
his sword a huge snake, which, on his arrival, was in
the act of running up the tree.
Now on one of the topmost branches of the tree was
the nest of a pair of white crows. These birds have*
lost their offspring from year to year : and the mother-
bird returning home that day with food for the last
hatched brood, saw the young man sound asleep under-
neath the tree, and, taking him to be an enemy who had
purloined her progeny year after year, was on the
point of killing him, when the young ones, who had
been eye-witnesses of the snake incident, prayed to God
for speech for one moment. Their prayer was granted,
and they told their mother how much they owed to the
youth for having snatched them from the jaws of death.
Pleased with the young prince, the hen-bird and her
mate, who had also returned in time to hear the story,
treated him with every mark of kindness, and lovingly
asked him his errand. As soon as they knew that he
was in search of lals, they promised to take him to
Lalan, Princess of Rubies, who, though not accessible
to man, could alone, they said, give him the precious
gems he was in quest of.
As promised, the female bird took the young prince
on her wings, and set him down in the palace of Lalan
in far off land, the male bird shading him from the
28. HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
rays of the sun with its wings all the way. On taking
leave of the saviour of their progeny, the birds gave him
a feather and spoke thus : —
‘ If you are in need of our service at any time,
just turn this feather over a fire for a few seconds,
having first put a little frankincense into the fire, and
then we shall be present, and do your bidding.’
The princess, who was in a cage transformed into a
bird, on seeing the prince, the first human being who
had ever arrived at the palace, at once exclaimed : —
‘ Oh, what have you done, young man ? Why did you
come here ? You must thank your good fortune in not
‘finding the ogre at this moment, or else he would
have made a meal of you.’
Hardly were the words uttered, when the young man
was turned into a fly and put on the wall, and immedi-
ately appeared the ogre in a great rage exclaiming, ‘ 1
smell a man, I smell a man.’
‘ Do not be disquieted, father. There was no one
here in your absence, and you see me as you left me in
the cage,’ replied the bird from the cage.
On this the rakhas was pacified, and made the
princess to take her natural form by the waving of
his golden magic sword, after which she ministered to
his wants.
For six months, short of six days, the princess treated
the prince with every mark of kindness, but making him
resume human shape only in the absence of the ogre.
One day he told her that he had remained long enough,
and was, therefore, very anxious to depart, but wished
that she should ask the ogre wherein his life lay. She
accordingly, on a day when he was extremely pleased
with her, thus spoke to her ogre-father : —
‘ Father, father, will you tell me where your ‘life is ?
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
. 29
For I am afraid of what will become of me when you are
dead.’ •
‘ Do not be anxious, my child,’ replied the ogre, ‘ for
my life is very safe, and not accessible to any human
being. It is in the form of a parrot, hung high up to an
iron shaft, in the middle of the waters of the seven and
seven seas, which no man hath crossed. When the neck
of this bird is wrung, then only shall I die, and not till
then.’
Having heard these words, the prince summoned his
kind friends, the white crows, with the aid of the feather,
and, sitting on the wings of the hen while the cock shaded
him by its wings from the piercing rays of the sun^
crossed the seven seas, and espying the other seven seas,
discovered just in the middle of them an iron column to
which was suspended a cage with a bird in it. The
prince at once climbed the column, took out the parrot,
broke its legs, pulled away its wings, and then wrung its
neck. This being done, he returned to Lalan’s palace,
which he had left without telling her, and on being in-
formed that her ogre-father was killed, she set up a loud
lamentation and began to fill the earth and heaven with
her wailing.
The prince consoled the princess in her affliction, and
before long threw a little frankincense on the fire and
turned over it the magic feather and so summoned his
constant friends, the white crows, and, sitting on
their wings with Lalan, he reached their home, where,
after spending a few days with great pleasure amidst
their progeny and in their company, he bade a farewell
to the friendly birds and started for the hut of his mother
who received him and Lalan. Here the prince regretted
that he should have in his haste forgotten to bring the
lals, for which purpose he had gone to the very distant
30
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
country, and was bent upon going again to fetch them for
the wager’s sake.
‘ Do not be sorry,’ said the princess, ‘ and I see no
need why you should go back to the far off land. In
order to get the object of your desire you have only to
twist my neck a little, after transforming me into a bird
as my ogre-father used to do by waving in a particular
manner his golden sword, which I have luckily brought
with me. When I shed tears, from the pain you will
give me, I will drop in lals.'
Accordingly, changing the princess into a bird, the
prince went to the capital of the king with whom he had
laid the wager. He placed the bird in a prominent posi-
tion in the centre of the tank, and after a slight twist of
its neck, lo and behold ! the tears it shed were changed
into rubies, so many as to fill up the tank quite to the brim
and over the masonry banks.
While the tank of lals was filled thus to over-
flowing, the tank of pearls was not half filled, though
hundreds of cartful of pearls had emptied their contents
into it.
Seeing that his reputation was at stake, and his wager
lost, the Raja went to the residence of the young man in
the forest privately, and acknowledged him the winner
of the wager ; and, in so doing, saw and recognized his
old Rani. At her feet he fell, and asked her pardon for
the grievous mistake he had made in sending her away
to the forest. The falseness of the ogre-queen was duly
proved later on, and she was ordered to be burnt in a
lime-kiln when only the king came to know to his extreme
regret of the swallowing by her of his early friends — the
carpenter’s son, the KotwaVs son and the minister’s son
who with him formed the quartette and gone abroad in
search of adventures.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA . 31
Taking his wife and son, whom he embraced with
great affection, the king reached his home and there
reigned with his wife, while his son, united in marriage to
Lalan, who was no other than the daughter of a kin<
stolen by the ogre when an infant, dwelt with them.
No. 8. JAMBHU RAJA
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
king. One day, while taking his siesta after the dis-
charge of the affairs of State, he dreamt that a horse came
into the gujri, and that he would purchase it. With a
view to testing the truthfulness of the dream, the king*
entered the market-place that evening, and found a
beautiful, spirited horse, standing there. He asked the
owner whether he would part with the animal, and,
receiving a negative reply, he left the place for his
home.
The horse now took to refusing his food, and on
seeing this, the owner thought within himself : — ‘Several
kings asked me to part with this animal, and I would
not. Yet for all that he never refused his food before.
I am sore afraid that I may lose the horse, so I
had better part with him to the first buyer.’ A few days
after this the owner of the horse, who was a merchant,
was requested to be present in connection with some
commercial transactions in the same market-place where
the king had asked whether the animal was for sale.
The king again dreamt that the horse had come,
and that he. should buy him at any cost. Accordingly,
on his way home, he went to the gujri and found the
animal. Giving the merchant the two lakhs of rupees
which he demanded for the animal, he got possession
of him.
32 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
Still the horse would not touch his fodder, even
when it was carried by the king himself or his queen
in turns. It was only when the king’s daughter took
and placed it before the animal that he would eat it.
Struck with the affinity which existed between the
princess and the horse, the king cast dice, and found out
that the beautiful young lady was destined to become the
bride of the animal. In due course, therefore, the
father married his daughter to the horse and gave them
apartments near the palace.
Now the horse was no other than Jambhu Raja
changed into this form. At night he used to divest
himself of his horse-covering and pass his time in the
company of his wife without her knosvledge ! But this
state of things could not last long, for she began to feel
suspicious that her husband was not really a horse,
so one night she pretended to be asleep, and saw her
husband take off his horse-covering. She became
possessed of it with great skill, set it on fire, and
broke the spell to the immense joy of her parents.
In due course Jambhu Raja had a palace constructed
close to the royal residence of his father-in-law. There,
in the midst of pleasure and comfort, he lived, loving
and loved by his wife, and performing deeds of kindness
to mankind. In his absence his two sisters sent by their
mother came to the palace disguised, the one as a needle-
seller and the other as a bangle-seller. In the midst of
their duty they asked the Rani her husband’s name,
though they knew that she was their brother’s wife. As
she did not know it, she promised to tell them on another
occasion. After the lapse of two or three days they came
again. In the course of their conversation, naturally
and without arousing any suspicion, they asked the Rani
her husband’s name. On this she frankly admrtted that
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
.33
she had entirely forgotten to ask about it. Thereupon
the sisters gave her a needle telling her to stick it in her
towel, so that when she wiped her face with it in the
morning, the needle would come in contact with her
face and she would be reminded at once. It need
hardly be said that the needle pricked the Rani’s face
the next morning, whereupon she ran to her husband
and asked him his name.
‘ You will repent of it,’ said the husband.
‘ No,’ replied the wife.
‘ Do you really ask my name ? ’ again said the
husband.
‘ Yes ’ returned the wife.
On hearing this the Raja ran to the brink of the river
close by. Hardly had he uttered his name ‘ Jambhu Raja
than he disappeared into the waters below. In due course
he returned to his parents’ home, but complained of heat
like burning-fire throughout his body. Hundreds of
water-carriers were employed to pour water over him, but
nothing could cool him nor alleviate his acute suffering.
Now, after the Raja’s disappearance, the Rani raved
like a mad woman for a time. Then she became a
gosain, and started in search of her husband. Perilous
and long was the journey she had imposed on herself ;
and though her courage sank within her at times, and
her tender feet, unaccustomed to walking, became swollen,
she walked on until she reached the confines of the
kingdom of her husband’s parents.
■ Here, on the branches of a tree, a pair of chakwa
chakwi birds were holding a close conversation.
‘ Our Raja’s son, Jambhu Raja, is suffering greatly
from heat in his body,’ said the male bird.
‘ Yes,’ dear, said the female bird, ‘ but there is no
cause fbr anxiety. If any one were to collect our dung,
5
34
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
and reduce it to powder, and apply it to his body, he
would be cured instantaneously.’
Saying this the birds flew away up into the high
heavens. Our heroine, who was conversant with the
language of birds, gratefully gave heed to the speech.
Collecting some of the dung she reached the capital sooner
than she would otherwise have done, weary and footsore
as she was. The people that first met her gaze were a
troop, of water-carriers whom she interrogated thus : —
‘ Sisters ! Sisters I whither are you going with these
pots full of water ? ’
‘ Ah I Don’t you know ? Are you new to the
country ? ’ said they. ‘ Our old Raja’s son, Jambhu Raja,
is suffering from a malady. We are carrying water to
pour over him in order to cool his body.’
‘ Just so, sister. I am new to this country having
only just entered your Raja’s capital. Look at my hag-
gard appearance and the dust on my feet. In the course
of the day, after I have found a lodging and taking my
meals and a little rest, I shall also follow you, carrying
a pot of water, if you see no objection.’
Thus saying Jambhu Raja’s wife dropped her ring
into one of the pots without their knowledge. It fell over
the Raja when the contents of the gar ha were emptied over
him, and prepared him for his wife’s arrival.
A few hours after, the Rani, disguised as a panniara
(water-carrier), came in the company of the water-
carriers. She formally poured the contents of the pot
over her husband so as not to arouse suspicion. Making
herself known she applied the dung of the chakwa
chakwi birds to his entire body, and the burning pain
left him entirely. The Raja, sending for his mother, told
her of his recovery, and desired that the water-carrier,
who was the cause of this, should remain with him.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA .35
Now the Raja’s mother was a bad woman, and she
knew who the water-carrier was. Oncfe she had asked her
to plaster with cow-dung their dwelling-place which, by
the force of her magic, she had made to bristle with sharp
needles at every conceivable point. The Raja divining
this, wished for their disappearance, and no harm had
befallen his wife.
Again the bad woman had wished for scorpions and
centipedes in the house, and it was so ; but Jambhu Raja
made them disappear before his wife plastered it. Thus
his wife was saved from harm for the second time.
Still the bad woman was bent upon treating his
daughter-in-law cruelly or doing away with her. She
gave her a dirty sari, well steeped in oil, and told her to
wash it quite clean or she would punish her very severely.
Coming to know of this, the Raja asked the cranes to
clean the cloth and thus averted the punishment, which
would otherwise have been inevitably inflicted on the
ill-used young woman.
Chagrined at being thus frustrated in her attempt, the
cruel persecutor gave to her panniara (daughter-in-law)
three khandis of grain to winnow. Again the Raja
came to the rescue and asked all the ants to clean them
without losing one ear. They did so accordingly, but the
Raja’s mother found one corn missing. Thereupon he
said : ‘ Come all ye ants and tell me who stole the corn,’
and a small timid ant threw out of her tiny mouth the
missing thing. Then the woman inferred that her son
had all along been protecting his wife from harm and
persecution, and now took the extreme step of sending
the Ra n to his betrothed wife’s home with the following
letter to the girl’s mother : —
‘ Your daughter’s enemy (because of the would-be posi-
tion of co-wife) is coming ; poison or kill her at once.’
36 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
She came back, however, none the worse, but safe and
sound, to the great vexation and astonishment of the
mother-in-law. How could she come otherwise, for the
words' of the note the Raja substituted words as
follows : —
‘ My adopted daughter is coming, treat her very
kindly.’
Now Jambhu Raja’s mother wanted to celebrate his
marriage with the betrothed of her selection, though she
knew full well that he had married the disguised water-
carrier and loved her extremely. Indeed, the ceremonies
began and the marriage procession started. In the
procession the wife was converted into a torch-bearer
and a torch was put into her hand. All of a sudden
she caught fire, at which she cried out : ' Husband,
husband, my cloth is on fire.’
‘ Not only your cloth, but my body and mind,’ replied
the husband.
Saying thus and taking his wife, the Raja translated
himself through the mid air to his former palace.
No. 9\ THE DISGUISED ROYAL THIEF
In a certain country there once lived a king. He had a
dutiful son who, on rising from his bed in the morning,
used to prostrate himself at his father’s feet. The father
used to confer a blessing : ‘ May you prosper, and your
prosperity be more than mine, yea, double.’ In like
manner the son prostrated himself at the feet of his
mother, who used to bless him : ‘ May your intelligence
be more than that of thieves.’
' This folktale is the most extraordioary conglomeration of stock incidents
that I have yet seen.— E ditor, Indian Antiquary,
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
il
Now the prince thought of the strangeness of the
mother’s constant blessing, and made up his mind to test
the intelligence of thieves. So, one dark night, setting
aside his princely robes and completely disguising him-
self, he left his home, and had not wandered long in the
streets before a thief accosted him : ‘ Who are you ? ’
The prince, who had expected this, in order to estab-
lish a friendship, replied : ‘ Do you not know that I
am a brother of the profession ? ’
‘ Well, come on,’ said the thief.
They had proceeded but a few paces, when another
thief came, and after a while they were joined by a third.
As they were all walking in company, the first asked
the second what qualifications he possessed. ‘ Brother,’
replied he, ‘ I understand the language of beasts. I can
tell you the precise meaning of their cries. Will you
kindly tell me yours.’
‘ Yes,’ said he, ‘ If I see a man once in the night, I
can recognize him even after twelve years.’
When the third was questioned as to his merits, he
answered : ‘ Brothers, T can tell you what is hidden in
the palace, nay, in the bowels of the earth — gold, silver,
copper or whatever it may be.’
The disguised prince was in trouble while this discus-
sion was going on, not knowing what he should say in
his turn ; but a thought struck him in the nick of time.
When at last the question was put to him, he said that he
could save his brother-thieves from the gallows, if matters
come to such a crisis-
The thieves that night had resolved to plunder the
Raja’s palace. So the thief who could tell of the hidden
wealth was consulted, and they started. On the way a
dog barked, and they all at once asked the comrade who
was conversant with the language of beasts : ‘ Brother,
M HEERAMliiA Al<D VENKATASWAMI OR
why does the dog bark ? ’ ‘It tells us,’ said he, ‘ that the
owner is with us, and that we should be on our guard
‘ How could the owner be with us, you fool ? ’ angrily
retorted they, and proceeding on their course they
approached the palace.
Now the prince was sorry that he should be associated
with thieves in plundering his own palace. He did not
relish the idea, much less the fact. Nor did the mere
thought of losing the vast wealth accumulated for seven
generations please him. He, therefore deserted the
thieves, and hastily reaching the palace informed the
guards there of their intentions and of their probable
arrival within a short time. The result was that the
thieves were caught in the very act of laying their hands
on the accumulated treasure.
The day had dawned. The king was informed of the
robbery, and in due course he had the thieves brought
before the tribunal. He enquired into the grave charges
against them, and finding them guilty, he ordered them
to be taken instantly to death.
Now the thief, who said that he could recognize a man
after the lapse of twelve years, went to the prince who
was sitting on the right of his royal father, and, taking
him by the hand, he exclaimed that he was one of them.
Greatly surprised, the king asked for an explanation, and
the son, taking him aside, rehearsed from the beginning,
how his mother’s blessing had led him to test the intelli-
gence of thieves. He had indeed been surprised — one
thief interpreting the barking of a dog, another telling of
a state of the palace coffers, and the third recognizing a
face seen only in the dark. He also told him how he had
promised them to save their lives. ‘ The time has now
come,’ said the prince in conclusion, ‘ for me to fulfil the
promise, but the power is with you, sire ; so I beg of yon
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
39
to kindly grant the thieves their lives.’ The king from
the kindliness of his heart complied with the request of
his ever dutiful son.
No. 10. THE KING, THE WHELP, AND THE
MINISTER
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
pious king. One day, having bathed and applied the
tilaka to his forehead, he started, followed by his minis-
ter, to go to a temple to worship. To reach the temple
there was a river to be crossed.
Now Ishvara, with a view to test the piety of the
king, assumed the form of a mangy dog, and appeared at
the river precisely at the moment when the king and
the minister were about to cross it. 'n this repulsive
disguise the dog approached the king repeatedly with a
mute appeal to be taken to the other side of the river ;
but he kept himself from coming in contact with what
appeared to be a low cur. Yet the animal persisted in
going up to the king, howling piteously.
The minister, on seeing this, said to his master : — ‘ I
see, sir, that this creature wishes to be taken across
the river.’ So saying, he took the dog into his arms,
notwithstanding the mange, and began fording the river
after the king.
The river was not easily forded, and so, when the
water reached up the armpits of the minister, he put the
dog on his shoulders, and when the water reached his
shoulders, he put it on his head, the king observing him
all the time. And by the time the king and the minister
reached the temple, the former found to his great horror
that he had been smitten with the mange of the dog,
this being the punishment inflicted by God, because,
40
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
notwithstanding his reputed piety, he was not, when passed
through the crucible of experience, found right in his
heart. On the other hand, the minister who had handled
the mangy dog from first to last was untouched, for his
heart was approved by God.
The moral is that we are not to look down upon the
poor for their poverty or external defects, for who knows
but they may have hearts that commend themselves to
Parameshwara,
No. 11. KUTHUVELUKU A?‘D POONGAVELUKU
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
Brahman, who had two very beautiful daughters. The
eldest bore the name of Poongaveluku and her sister
Kuthuveluku. The father had these girls married at an
early age. In due time Poongaveluku, who had been
married in her seventh year, advanced towards woman-
hood, and the garbavasi or garbadhan ceremony had
been performed. Shortly afterwards Kuthuveluku, too,
attained to womanhood, but the sobanum ceremony
could not be performed, for her husband, Deshadi Raja,
was travelling in the east and west and north and
south of Aryavarta.
Not having seen her sister, Poongaveluku for a long
time, Kuthuveluku adorning herself in all her ornaments,
went to visit her ; Poongaveluku on seeing her appear
even more beautiful than when she had last seen her,
wept bitterly, for she had heard of the death of Deshadi
Raja. The younger sister asked the cause of her
weeping, but she would not tell her for a long time.
As Kuthuveluku persisted, she yielded, and with tears in
her eyes, said : ‘ My loving and only sister, Kuthu-
veluku, I wept because I thought of what you will do
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
41
with your youth and loveliness, young and lovely as you
are, for 'I have heard of the death of your husband in
the course of his travels in Bharathavarsha.’
Hearing this, Kuthuveluku took leave of her sister and
returned to her parents. Informing them of her mis-
fortune with tears, she entreated her father to prepare a
funeral pyre, so that she might burn herself in it and
rejoin her husband in the next world.
In due course the pyre was prepared. After dis-
tributing puspu, kunkuma, barnailu, santhosa and
vastra to the punyastrees, and after making pranams
to the assembled crowd, Kuthuveluku without swerving
for one moment from the self-imposed ordeal, and calling
upon heaven and earth to witness, notwithstanding the
high flames leaping to the skies, jumped into the pyre.
But an unusual heavy rain came down from the blue sky
and not only extinguished the funeral pile, but burst the
banks of the rivers abounding in the country and made
them overflow, and caused a general flood. One of these
rivers, by the impetuosity of its flow, swept the immacu-
late victim of the burning fires along with it. On the
morning of the next day the chaste young widow of
Deshadi Raja, whom the fires refused to touch, carried
by the benign current, found herself landed on the bank
of a river in a strange country.
A mdldkara in service of the king of the country saw
her and was impressed with her extreme beauty. Pitying
her forlorn condition, wetted and shivering as she was,
he took the young lady home and told Ifis wife to tend
her as their child, as they had no children. Now it was
the duty of the mdldkara every morning to make ready
garlands and immortelles, gujras and turas for the royal
family. In this work he was relieved on one occasion by
his adopted daughter. The queen observed the change,
6
42
HEERA.MMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
and so struck and pleased was she with the artistic talent
displayed in the arrangement of various flowers Constitut-
ing the wreaths, etc., that she sent for the mdldkara and
asked him who had made ready the mdlds that day.
‘ My daughter,’ was the reply.
‘ Bring your daughter to me some day,’ said the
mistress.
Accordingly the mdldkara took his adopted daughter
to the palace one day, and she was at once, much to the
regret of the foster-father, taken into the service of the
royal family as a suitable companion to the queen’s
daughter, who was of the same age.
Now, on a certain occasion, the queeh gave a ser of
pearls to one of the maid-servants, telling her to string
them. The mdldkara' s adopted daughter, who happened
to be present, said she would do the work, but her
mistress would not trust her with it. However, she
insisted, and in an inauspicious moment began the work.
While thus occupied, Kuthuveluku was shouted at and
called several times for her noon-day meal. So she left
the pearls in a temple to Ganesha attached to the palace,
and went to take her food. But what was her surprise
on her return to find that the pearls had completely
disappeared.
The loss of the pearls was, in due course, brought to
the notice of the queen. She was very wroth, and had
the culprit’s head at once shaved as a public insult.
Besides this punishment the poor widow of Deshadi
Raja was made to sweep the verandahs, granaries and
stable yards during the day, and at night’ to act as a
lamp-stand at the latter place.
Now, Deshadi Raja was alive, notwithstanding the
rumours of his demise, and had arrived in this country
from his extensive travels in the land of Bharata and of
I^OLKTALES from INDIA
Kasyapa Muni, embosomed and nestling amidst the
Yamulgifi Parvatam ; for the queen was no other than
his sister. Here, in the palace, he saw poor Kuthuveluku
standing alone during the night at the entrance of his
chamber, for her position had been shifted to the palace
from the stable yard since the Raja’s stay in the palace.
He was very much displeased with the inhuman treat-
ment meted out to the maid-servant : and was anxious to
know the cause of such a harsh treatment, but somehow
or other he forgot to ask about it.
During his stay with his brother-in-law and sister,
Deshadi Raja asked that a mistress be provided for him.
This, of course, could not be done without informing
the queen. So she was informed, and said : ‘ We had
better send that girl who lost the lakh of rupees worth
of pearls ; she is beautiful. By this way at least the loss
of pearls will be recompensed.’
Accordingly, Kuthuveluku was ordered to dress
herself and go to the newly-arrived brother of the queen
in the palace during his stay. She understood the purpose
and wept much, but obey she must. So, she fervently
praying to Ishvara inwardly to preserve her chastity,
she, on the first day, heaving deep sighs, approached the
entrance of the chamber and stood weeping. On the
second day also she approached the entrance of the
chamber w'th a heavy heart and stood weeping. The third
day, too, saw her standing and weeping at the entrance.
The fourth day also marked the tears of Kuthuveluku,
wetting the ground at the entrance to the chamber of the
Raja. But on the fifth day, when she had begun weep-
ing after approaching the entrance and taking her
stand, the Raja, who had observed her behaviour for the
last four days, and taking her to be no prostitute, asked
her wh*o she was and why she was weeping. Upon this,
44
heeramMa and VENKATASWAMI or
Kuthuveluku, with clasped hands, unfolded her tale of
woes. She told how she had been married to the
unfortunate Deshadi Raja, who had died while making
acquaintance with different countries, and how in conse-
quence she had had a funeral pile prepared and jumped
into it to rejoin her husband in the next world, but how
an unusually heavy rain at that moment came down
from the high heavens, as ill-luck would have it, and
extinguished the flames : how one of the several rivers
which inundated the country in consequence, instead of
accepting her sinful self as a sacrifice when refused by
fire, swept her a long only to lay her on the banks of a
river of a strange country, where a mdldkara, taking
compassion on her, adopted her as his daughter ; how she
was torn away from him by the queen to become a com-
panion for her daughter ; how she lost the pearls in the
temple of Ganesha and had in consequence been punished.
She went on to say : I have been the lamp-post at the
entrance to your chamber since your arrival (though I was
in the stable yard before), and now I am compelled to lead
the life of a prostitute against my will, when, as heaven
and earth know k, I have laid the hem of my gar-
ment to Deshadi Raja, and to him alone. ‘ To save
me from dishonour and allow me to die pure, when death
overtakes me, is now within your power,’ said Kuthu-
veluku, prostrating herself at his feet with tears trickling
down the pallid cheeks of her swollen face.
Hearing her sorrowful story, and recognizing from
the narration in the poor badly treated servant sent to
him, his own wife, Deshadi Raja took her to his side and
wept bitterly, exclaiming that he was her husband. But
Kuthuveluku would not believe that he was her husband,
for had she not learnt from the lips of her sister that he
died while travelling in the classic Aryabumi, and were not
folktales from INDIA
45
women always being deceived by men by false persuasion ?
Howevei;, Deshadi Raja sent for his brother-in-law the
next day, and in high terms asked the cause of the mal-
treatment of his wife, and straightway made his way to
the temple of Ganesha and beat the image in his anger
with a ratan, stating that he was the root of the disap-
pearance of the pearls for which his poor wife was so
bitterly persecuted. Whereupon the god gave up the
pearls.
Deshadi Raja soon afterwards, leaving his cruel
sister and brother-in-law, who were at a loss for an ex-
planation of the maltreatment of his wife, reached his
father-in-law’s country, followed by his patient wife,
Kuthuveluku.
Here, to the great joy of Kuthuveluku’s father and
sister, was very soon celebrated with great pomp and
splendour the marriage of Deshadi Raja with Kuthu-
veluku for the second time, for both had been reported
dead and were alive.
It need hardly be said that the pair lived happily
afterwards, attaining a good old age and possessing
many a grand-child dandling at their knees.
No. 12. THE OLD WOMAN OF
THE SUGAR-CANE FIELD
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
king. One day he started on an expedition, and,
preceding his army and retinue, he became cut off from
them, and found himself in the heart of a dense forest.
Feeling very thirsty, and not having a single attendant
to fetch for him a lota of water, he entered a sugar-cane
field hard by. The owner of the field was an old
woman.*
46 HEEFAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
He addressed her thus : —
‘ Mother, will you kindly give me to drink ? I feel
very, very thirsty.’
‘ Sir,’ said the woman, ‘ I have no water here, but
there is a well a mile hence. You can go, mounted as
you are, on your horse, and slake your thirst there.’
‘ But,’ said the king, ‘ I am exhausted and fatigued,
and have not the strength to go so far, even on my
charger.’
On this the old woman, who was of a 'compassionate
nature, pierced with a thorn one of the sugar-canes and
extracted a lotaful of juice and offered it to the king. He
^rank it, and finding it refreshing asked for more. The
woman repeated the process, and obtained another. This
he drank also and asked for a third draught, so thirsty
was he. This request also she complied with. Refresh-
ed thus, the king before leaving the field, asked the
owner what rent she paid for the ground. He was
informed ‘ one rupee,’ and the ungrateful king thought
that the ground-rent levied was too little.
On a future occasion circumstances similar to the
above brought the king to the same sugar-cane field in
the forest. He asked his old acquaintance for a drink.
The obliging woman pierced with thorns ten sugar-canes,
but all to no purpose ; for not one yielded any juice.
The king asked of the cause of this. ‘ Ah! ’ exclaimed
the old woman, ‘ do you not know it ? This is caused
by the perfidy of the king, for his mean heart has made
the soil to lose its fertility.’
No. 13. THE PEARL MERCHANT
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a man
who was highly intelligent and versed in knowledge.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
•47
But people looked upon him as a mad man notwith-
standing' these favourable qualities ; and this because of
his constant rounds to every house in the vicinity repeat-
ing the formula of his ‘ Boodhdhi voonnadhi dubboo
laidhu.' (Have sense but no money.)
Now four merchants went to a counting house and
were receiving money at the hands of their banker for
the purposes of trade ; when came the mad man repeat-
ing his formula ‘ Boodhdhi voonnadhi dubboo lai !hu. '
The banker asked him to sit down and enquired what
he wanted. ‘ I want five thousand rupees ’ said the mad
man quickly.
‘ Well, execute a bond ’ replied the banker.
Hardly was the bond drawn up when the banker
counted out the rupees, put them in bags and threw them
on the shoulders of two of his servants and bidding
them to carry same enjoined on them to obey the orders
of the mad man to the very letter ; he was anxious the
niore to find out for himself to what good account his
money would be turned than afraid of losing it.
Now the mad man laid out the' sum in purchasing
bullocks and hay, the latter of which he burned and
turned to ashes. This he carefully kept in bags. On
this a conversation took place between the two servants.
‘ Brother, brother, what good was there in investing
money on bullocks and ashes,’ said one.
‘ There might be good — who knows, brother, but
what does it matter ? We get our pay all the same,’
replied the other.
The mad man repaired to the seabeach and waited
there telling his servants that their encampment had better
be some distance away from him ; they were to come to
him onlj^ to give him his meals and receive instructions.
And soon afterwards he made a light craft and went to
48 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
sea where he selected a spot close to a sunken rock
and scattered the ashes on all sides.
Now this was the place where the sea-dogs used to
bring out shells, break them open and eat what was
found inside. The majority of these shells veritably
contained pearls of every variety of size and of every
degree of excellence. They lay scattered on the ashes
presenting, on account of their glimmering lustre, a most
dazzling appearance. These pearls the mad man used to
store every day and put them away secretly and without
arousing suspicion in the body of the cow-dung cakes, the
making of which with regularity seemed to the servants
his ordinary business. In fact, on this account they
looked upon their master as more than ever a mad man.
One day he had the cakes put on the bullocks’ back
and started for his native place. On the way he
encamped at a place, where he found the four merchants
also encamped and on their homeward journey. At
night they were overtaken by a strong gust of wind and
their dinner was spoiled ; and running short of fire-
wood they ran to the man with the caravan of cow-dung
cakes and asked for a few faggots. He gave them a few
and accepted their word of honour that they would be
returned.
In due course the merchants paid a visit to the
banker, settled their accounts and presented him with
valuable cloths and ornaments ; and our hero, to the
great joy of the trusty banker, settled his account also
and gave him a present of five cow-dung cakes. These
the banker sent to his wife who, looking at the strange
present, thought within herself, ‘ I always make use of
sandalwood, never have I made use of these nasty cakes.’
And with these reflections predominant in her mjnd, she
broke one of them and to her extreme surprise found it
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
.49
filled with beautiful pearls — some of the first water or of
the first 'magnitude, others of middle size as also very
tiny ones. Gathering all the pearls from the cakes
she sent for her husband and asked whether he had
himself sent to her the cow-dung cakes.
‘ Yes, only to please a mad man,’ said the husband.
Then she explained how the cakes contained pearls
of inestimable price. On this the banker sent for the
mad man, received him with all cordiality and thanked
him for the present which, though outwardly cow-dung
cakes, yet was really treasure enough to make one a
nabob as he facetiously remarked.
After the lapse of some time the four merchants*
returned to the pearl merchant — we shall so call our
hero — five cow-dung cakes, but the latter would not
accept them, and how could he ? They were the same in
size and appearance, it is true, yet they wanted in
their inward contents, namely pearls, and it was only when
the banker, v/hose aid was called in, had e.xplained the
trouble of the matter, that the merchants were surprised
and begged to be excused for consigning the valuable
pearls unknowingly to the flames. Henceforward they
looked upon the pearl merchant as a genius, and so did
the populace who, observing the further growth of his
prosperity and affluence marvelled what their mad
man might do by his knowledge, the power of which they
now began to clearly understand.
No. 14. THE BRAHMIN, THE TIGER AND
THE ASS ; OR THE ORIGIN OF WINE
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
Brahmin. Quite disgusted with himself on account of
precarious living he went to a forest greatly wishing
7
50 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
that he might become the prey of wild beasts. In
consonance with his inward wish he met the' king of
tigers who growled and, gnashing his teeth, sprung
upon the man, but, surprise of surprises, the beast,
instead of engaging itself in the work of destruction,
called the Brahmin near and enquired into his case.
Sympathising with him in the end it said : —
‘ Oh, Brahmin, I pity you sincerely and propose as
a remedy that I supply the funds and you prepare the
meals for yourself and me.’
The Brahmin acquiesced and the beast and the man
lived in great amity for a considerable number of years;
when one day a skeleton of an old ass came to the forest.
The king of the tigers growled and made a bound
upon the animal but, as before, instead of doing any
harm, called the latter and asked about itself.
‘ Oh king of the tigers,’ said the ass, ‘ do not ask
about me, for my case is a sad one to relate. When I
could hardly totter on my legs I was snatched away
from my living mother’s side and given into' a dhobi’s
family. Here I have been given the drudgery of carrying
on my back burdens of more weight than I could bear to
and from the distant river-bank, and the provender I
was made to subsist upon during the time was barely
sufficient to keep body and soul together. Having thus
worked hard in the best years of my life, exhausted and
old as I have now become and therefore unfit for work,
they have sent me adrift upon the world to shift for
myself. My only wish is to die, so I implore you to
exercise your prerogative and make a mouthful of me.’
Sympathetically viewing the poor ass’s case, the
king of the tigers asked the Brahmin friend to cook
meals for three persons ; and since that time the poor
animal stayed with the tiger and the Brahmin.
folktales from INDIA
.51
Thus for a long time the beasts and the man lived
in great' friendship. One day, however, the king of the
tigers paid the debt of nature, and the Brahmin and
the ass were overwhelmed with grief because of the
loss of their only benefactor on this earth. Nor did
their grief show signs of abatement ; for on the funeral
pyre which they prepared for their tiger-benefactor
and whereon they laid the corpse they themselves
immolated.
Now there sprang up where the fiie consumed the
Brahmin, the tiger and the ass, a tree called the Mohwa
tree {Bassia latifolia), the flowers of which yield an
intoxicating wine.
The moral is that when a man enters a tavern his
attitude is like that of the humble Brahmin of our
story ; when, he drinks to some extent he becomes a tiger ;
and when he indulges without any restraint he becomes
an ass — veritably a dhobi's ass.
No. 15. THE CROW AND ITS NINETY EGGS
Thpjre lived a crow who laid ninety eggs. All of them
had dried up except one. The crow asked the egg :
‘ Oh egg, how is it that all the eggs have dried
but you ? ’
‘ The grass obstructed me by its shadow ’ was the
reply.
Hearing this the crow went to the grass and asked :
‘ Oh grass, why didst thou obstruct ? ’
‘ Because the horse did not browse.’
‘ Oh horse, why didst thou not browse ? ’
‘ Because the boy did not tether me.’
‘ Oh boy, why didst thou not tether the horse ? -
52
HEERAMMA AND VENKA TASWAMI OR
‘ Because the girl did not give me conjee.'
‘ Oh girl, why didst thou not give the bov conjee ? ’
‘ Because the ant bit me.’
‘ Oh ant, why didst thou bite the girl ? ’
‘ How could I keep quiet when one puts his finger in
my golden hole ? ’
NOTE
This is a distinct nursery tale told to amuse little children, and
not a mere ending seemingly like the ending to each folklore as you
have in ‘ Folktales of Bengal.’ It may be in the words of the author
of that work — the Rev. Lall Behari Day — a pure string of non-
sense, if not a tissue of falsehood.
No. 16. THE PRINCESS AND THE PONNA
FLOWERS
There was a king who had seven daughters. These
one day went to a forest to gather Fonna flowers.
The sisters had a grudge against their youngest
sister because their father and mother loved her more
than them, she being the last and hence darling child.
So they persuaded her to climb a Ponna flower tree
telling her that they would thus get fresh flowers and
soon be able to fill their baskets and return home ; and
then when she was plucking flowers they ran away
leaving her alone. Thus the poor thing was left high
on the tree.
In the meantime a monkey passed. To it she spoke:
‘ Oh monkey, monkey, pray set me down or else bite rne.’
‘ I neither know how to set you down nor to bite ’ re-
plied the monkey.
Then an ape passed to which she said : ‘ Oh ape, ape,
pray set me down or else bite me.’
folktales from INDIA .53
‘ I know not how to set you down or how to bite you ’
replied the ape.
Then a bear passed to which she said : ‘ Oh bear,
bear, pray set me down or else devour me.’
‘ I neither know how to set you down or how to
devour you ’ said the bear.
Then a tiger passed, to which she said: ‘ Oh tiger,
tiger, pray set roe down or else devour me.’
‘ I neither know how to set you down or how to
devour you ’ said the tiger.
Then a panther passed, to which she addressed thus :
Oh panther, panther, pray set me down or else devour
me.’
‘ I do not know how to set you down, but I know
how to devour you.’ So saying it brought her down and
devoured her.
What else ? It is done.
Voka raju ata, rajuku yaiduguru koothoorloo ata,
Ponna poovooloo (v) aira bothey. puli raju vachhi
bookka buttay, Jangamaya jolay guttai, guru bichay.
[There was a certain king. He had seven daughters.
They went to gather Ponna flowers when the liger-king
filled his maw and the jangama opened his jholay,
asking charity in the name of his guru.\
NOTE
The repetition of the story as succinctly as possible at the end
(or the resume of the story in a succinct form in the end) is
evidently intended to put an end to Inca or further particulars of
the story asked by little children. But what connection the
Jangamaya has with the story in opening \i\s jholay and asking
charity Jn the name of his guru, the writer is unable to trace or
find out.
54
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMl OR
No. 17. THE KING, THE STATE ELEPHANT
AND THE CHASTE LAUNDRESS
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
king. One morning he wanted to mount his elephant,
when lo and behold ! the animal was covered with dark
spots all over its body. On this the king at once sent
for his astrologer and asked the reason and the remedy ;
for the king did not wish that there should be any defect
in his favourite elephant. The astrologer said : ‘ Oh
Maharaja, this is responsible for the sinfulness of the
woman and I assert that if one Pativrata approaches the
animal with an arti and waves it over three times, all the
dark spots will instantaneously disappear.’
Hearing this the king caused a proclamation to be
made through the town crier for a Pativrata, explaining
the object and promising to give half of his kingdom as
a reward. Strange to say not one Pativrata came forward.
The male portion of the people in the palace and in the
city from the king to the peasant were asking themselves
the question seriously, ‘ Is my wife not faithful to me
and, if so, why should she not come forward ? [and how
could she when she has seen the faces of several besides
her husband in spite of her rice-oath on the wedding
day] . In the meantime, a slave of the king who fully
believed in the fid?lity of his wife, had the audacity to
run to his master and without standing on ceremony, say
‘ Oh Raja, my wife is going to come forward and do thy
bidding.’ ‘ Tell her to do it at once you rascal and
you have the promised reward ’ replied the king
immediately.
Now the slave, in the evening, told his wife cheerfully
of the promise given to the king, she being a Pativrata.
But it surprised him greatly when he heard his wife say
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
•55
that though she seemed a paragon of virtue to him, yet
she was' not a Pativrata, as she had relations with
thirty-two other men. That number she said she wanted
to complete (making it thirty-three in all) that night soon
after her meals.
The next morning the hen-pecked husband who did
not dream for a moment that he was a cuckold, ran to the
river-bank and there .shed tears in profusion till after
sun down. This was observed by the dhobi women-folk
who were engaged in washing clothes there, it being their
ghat. Of them one possessing the kindliest disposition
went to him and asked : —
‘ Oh aiya, aiya, what ails you ? What are you
weeping for ? Weeping for having no wife or having no
children ? What’s the cause ? Do tell me. I may
relieve your anxiety.’
Touched by the sympathetic words he said : ‘ Oh,
amma, amma, I am weeping becau.se the raja will kill me,
run his dagger through me. For believing in my wife
I gave him my word that she would wave lamps over the
state elephant, but I find that she cannot, not being a
Paiivraia. This has set me aweeping.’
Hearing this sad story, the dhobun pitied the slave
greatly, addressed him not to lose heart and assured
him that she would herself in place of his unchaste wife
carry the arti on the morrow. Much to his relief and
true to his word, she, after getting permission from her
husband the dhobi, came to him with a tray of lamps on
her head ; and ere long followed by him was on her way
to the palace when her humble drapery (koka or cheeray)
became a pitambar, the earthen tray a gold salver, and the
lamps all gold and wonder of wonders ! hardly had the
arti b^en waved over the elephant thrice than the
animal became immaculate save for one dark spot. On
56 .
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
this the true Pativrata reproached herself for having
once or for the first time in her life performed the
unwifely act of partaking of food before her husband
being pressed by hunger, when, surprise of surprises,
the one spot also instantly disappeared.
The king from the beginning watched, with as great
interest as the populace, the miraculous disappearance of
the dark spots from the body of the elephant ; and in the
end admired the really true chaste woman who so caused
it by virtue of her chastity. And true to his word he gave
his kingdom, wealth, army retinue, elephants, camels,
horses to the extent of one-half to the slave though he came
to know subsequently man’s that the Palivrata was his
adopted sister not wife.
It needs scarcely be said that the slave who now
became a great man of the realm by the help of the
dhobuH- generously conferred favours now and then upon
his adopted sister, the chaste woman of the land and
these favours she used to accept with great diffidence
and of course after receiving permission to receive them
from her husband. For accepting favours even from a
relative without the permission of a husband is not in
accord with the character of a true wife.
No. 18. THE SIMPLETON, THE THIEVES AND
THE CLEVER MOTHER
Once upon a time there lived a mother. She had a son
who, though attained to manhood and fit to serve, was
lazy, besides being a simpleton.
All of a sudden, one day he called his mother and
said : ‘ Mother, mother, I am going to serve. I wish you
to get for me a pair of shoes as light as the tamarind
leaves.’
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
37
In consonance with the wish expressed, the mother
made a pair of shoes of a very light character and gave
the same to her son, entertaining no very great hopes
that he would serve, much less earn, knowing, as she
did, his lazy temperament and the fact of his being a
simpleton. But the young man got up, donned his best
clothes — putting on, of course, the brand new rattling
pair of shoes — and started at a rap’d rate whither he
knew best. He did not go by the bye-lanes but by one
of the roads — tolerably sequestered — where seeing some
men wrangling he shouted at the top of his voice
‘ Who are you ? ’ at which the fellows in utter con-
fusion, ran away taking our man, by the mode of his
walking and the style of his dress, not to speak of the
yell he gave, for ‘ some one great ’ in power.
Now the men who precipitately fled were robbers, and
hardly had they divided amongst themselves the spoils
of the night — seven bags of silver coins robbed from the
royal treasury — at their rendezvous than a difference
arose, and our hero, as the reader is aware, by the brave
shout he gave, frightened them out of their wits. Nay he
did not stop with this procedure, but reconnoitred the
whole place and came to the place where the bags were
lying. These after surveying them indifferently, he lifted
one by one and carried to the bed of a dried up rivulet
hard by and, there on a dhobVs boulder, tested the coins
one by one. Those which rang he condemned and threw
away and those which did not ring he kept and there was
only one coin he kept. Taking it home and putting it
in the hands of his mother, he said : ‘ Here are my
wages, only one coin I found good out of seven bags of
silver coins I threw away in the rivulet sands since
they were bad.
The mother probed the matter and coming to know
8
58
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
all the particulars, repaired soon after dusk to the spot
accompanied by her son and without a third person being
aware of it. And bringing home the treasure, the cunning
woman hid it in the ground without informing the
simpleton. At the same time, with a view to avoid
suspicion or ultimate discovery she had recourse -to a
stratagem — which, it will be seen, worked well. The
stratagem was that when our hero was locked in the
sweet embraces of sleep she threw over him sweetmeat,
copper coins, and cowries as if a rain of those objects had
descended upon him, upon which he got up and roared,
‘ Mother, what is it ? ’
‘ It is sweetmeat raining, son,’ replied the mother.
‘ So,’ said the son, and began collecting the sweetmeat
not caring for either the cowries or the copper coins.
It soon spread abroad that certain robbers had
entered the palace and robbed State money from the
treasury to the extent of seven bags of silver. This was
the topic of the day in all the circles. Our hero without
discussing it with any soul, made his way straight to the
royal court and reported that his mother and he had
brought the bags of silver to their house. Upon this, the
Rajah’s palace officers were instantly at the spot making
inquiries from the woman of the house and all that they
could elicit was ‘ Neither my son nor I have brought any
treasure.’
‘ Did we not ? ’ asked the son who had been listening
all the while in mute silence and now awoke as it were
from a reverie.
■ ‘ No, when did we ? ’ said the mother.
‘ On the day on which sweetmeat rained,’ rejoined he.
‘ Does sweetmeat ever rain ? ’ asked the crafty
woman of the assembled crowd and they nodded their
heads. Thereupon her son hung his head in shame.
folktales from INDIA
59
Taking advantage of this the clever woman impressed
on the people assembled by her harangue that the simple-
ton (referring to her son) was always in a brown study
and foolish were his imaginings — one being now in
point.
Hearing this, the royal messengers, looking upon the
young man as the greatest fool that Nature ever brought
forth from her workshop went their way without tracing
the robbery or securing reward.
No. 19. THE TWO FRIENDS
Once upon a time there lived a king, who had a son. The
minister also had a son. The lads ate together, walked
together and slept together, and the intimacy of child-
hood ripened into a friendship as time sped.
In the natural course of events, both the juveniles
married, and though the nuptials of the king’s son were
soon celebrated, still the friendship was ever waxing and
never waning ; and the interesting part was that the
friends could not live without seeing each other. So
with a view not to lose sight of his friend, the married
prince had so arranged that the minister’s son should
sleep underneath a high cot on which the bridegroom and
his royal consort were to pass the nuptial night.
The minister’s son, on account of the newness of the
sleeping place underneath a high cot (comfortable
though it was), could not get sleep for a considerable
time ; and thoughts one after another revolved in his
mind when, after a lapse of some time, he observed the
royal bride go out. He also observed her coming back
but without her nose.
Now the royal bride had a paramour — a cripple. It
was her promise to visit him on the nuptial night arrayed
60 HEERAMMA AMD VENKATASWAMI OR
in her dress and decked in her jewellery before her
husband ; but in this she failed and went to him after-
wards. This aroused the cripple’s jealousy and he bit
off her nose and expired because of the bursting of a
blood vessel — such was his ire.
Sorrowing for her paramour she mercilessly stabbed
her legitimate husband and having arranged for the
hasty removal of the remains of the cripple from the
palace premises, she raised an alarm that the minister’s
son had murdered her husband and bit off her nose on
her refusal to grant him favours.
For some time the minister’s son was in a dilemma,
but realizing the dangerous situation he was in, when
time lost was life lost, packed the remains of his dear
friend in a box and giving it in charge of a servant, left
the paiace without the knowledge of anybody — before
help could reach' the treacherous woman on the false
alarm — for the country of his bride.
In due course he readied it and found his wife keep-
ing good health and having attained towards woman-
hood, was awaiting the performance of the sobanam
ceremony.
Now the minister’s son’s wife was a very good
woman. Her desire (the desire of every true wife) for
the safe arrival of her husband being fulfilled and the
nuptial ceremony performed, she, on that night, leaving
her husband went to the temple of Badra Kali hard by
and took out her dagger to sacrifice her arm in accord-
ance with her vow to the goddess. On this the goddess
appeared in person and exclaimed : —
‘ Oh daughter, I am very well pleased with you.
Ask any boon you like and it shall be granted unto thee.’
The woman with great humility asked the boon that
whatever she touched which was lifeless or dry might be
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
.61
instilled with life and become fresh. Need it be said
that the boon was granted.
The husband who was pretending to be a sleep when
his wife left him, now got up and followed her to see
where she would go, and having witnessed everything in
the temole returned before his wife and was lying in bed
as before.
In due course the wife returned, on which the husband
who now feigning to be just aroused from sleep, asked
authoritatively,
‘ Oh, where were you ? ’
‘ Nowhere, Lord of my Soul,’ replied his wife meekly.
‘ Nowhere you say ? I know where you went — to
commit adultery,’ said the husband.
‘ I did not go anywhere nor have I committed adultery
with any one,’ rejoined the wife.
‘ So if you are pure and chaste touch the box here so
that whatever there may be inside may become fresh
again,’ said the husband.
She acquiesced, when, surprise of surprises, something
moved in the box. The box was opened immediately.
Behold the prince came to life !
For some time the friends could not speak for emotion,
but afterwards long was the conversation, in the course
of which the minister’s son told how his wife was a
votary of Kali ; how she propitiated the goddess ; how
she wanted to sacrifice her arm in fulfilment of her vow on
her husband joining her ; how the goddess being pleased
appeared in person and granted the boon that ■ whatever
her devotee touched might become fresh or be instilled
with life. On this the head of the minister’s son was
shattered to pieces because of his revealing the hidden
mystery of the great Brahma.
Sorrowing and summoning up courage, at the same
62
HEERAMMA AND VENRATASWAMI OR
time not losing a minute, the true wife had a collection
made of the fragments of the bones and reverently
touched them, when lo and behold her husband came to
life ! and amidst tears of joy acknowledged his gratitude
to her and repented of his folly in causing anxiety in her
breast.
Need it be said that the king’s son went to his
father’s dominions followed by his life-long friend as
also by his loving and obedient wife, and narrated to his
royal sire in detail how his wife on the nuptial night
proving false stabbed him dead ; how his friend had his
remains conveyed to his country and recalled to life by
the instrumentality of his wife — a saintly woman, and
adherent of Maha Kali. The king now getting access to
true information, had the treacherous false wife of his
son executed instantly and lavished praises on the
minister’s son and his wife, besides conferring benefits
upon the couple. He truly declared that the friendship
which existed between his son and the minister’s son was
divinely bestowed and calculated in right earnest to do
good, not harm in any shape whatever.
No. 20. THE SAGE AND THE WOULD-BE
MOTHER
Once upon a time a Sadhu, not of very considerable age,
went to ask for alms. Seeing a giA in an advanced
stage of pregnancy at a house where he stood he said : —
‘ Daughter, what is the cause of your belly being
big ? ’
‘ It has a child,’ replied the prudent girl.
Now the breasts which had become big by reason of
approaching maternity attracted the Sadhu’s ajttention.
So he said.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
63
‘ What are those breasts ? ’
‘ They are vessels of milk.’
‘ Have they milk ? ’
‘ Yes, they have.’
‘ Will you give me some ? ’
‘ Yes,’ said the would-be mother and began to draw
forth milk from the teats.
On this the Sadhu went away in a contemplative
mood reflecting in this wise, that if God could make
arrangements for nurturing the infant long before it is
brought forth, how much more would He nourish him
if he could only trust in Him.
No. 21. THE LEARNED LINGUIST
Once upon a time there was a king. He had a
minister, of whom he was very proud, because of
his (minister’s) scholarly attainments in the various
languages of the Bharatvarsha. Calling him one day,
the king said :
‘ Oh minister, I am extremely pleased with your
linguistic attainments ; at the same time I grieve that you
are ignorant of Telugu and other languages of that
group of the Southern country. So go to Dakshinatya
and learn them.’
In conformity with the royal wish, the linguist went
to the Dakshinadesha, stayed there for a considerable
time and without making the least progress in the
languages of those countries returned to his country.
The king with a smiling face asked the minister :
* Oh minister, have you learnt the languages ? ’
Without saying a single word, the minister took a
lota 'in yrhich he put a large piece of stone and began to
shake it violently. The king understood the meaning
64
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
and thus cotping to know the difficult nature of the
Turanian languages by the inability to acquire, much less
grasp them, by such an able and ripe a scholar as his
minister, he interdicted them from being cultivated in
the patashalas through the length and breadth of his
land.
No. 22. THE FOOLISH MENDICANT AND
THE SENSIBLE LADY
A CERTAIN mendicant started on his morning round to
ask alms. After going from one house to another taking
'alms in his jholi, he stood long before a house of a
well-to-do man. Here, instead of begging, he had the
audacity to make unlawful proposals to the mistress of
the house.
Now the mistress of the house was a very good
woman — a true pativrata — besides being a woman whose
features Vishwakarma chiselled unerringly and on whom
nature lavished her charms ungrudgingly. It was
clearly proved that the fair exterior was the infallible
index of her mind. Hearing the base proposals of the
mendicant she did not say anything but asked him to
enter a dark solitary cell which he did with great glee
being under the impression that the lady had acquiesced.
But what was his surprise when he found that he was
imprisoned for the insult he had offered. In this prison
he was confined for two whole days and the food he was
given was only conjee and a little salt, and this in-
sufficiently.
On the third day, however, after preparing luddoos
and giving them every variety of colour — pink, rose,
milky-white, snowy-white, yellowi— the lady cam& to the
door of the cell, opened it and asked : —
FOLKTALES. FROM INDIA
63
‘ O mendicant, may I know your wishes, whether you
want me or want food ? ’
The passion being now subsided for want of Annum
Parabrahmum, which is the creator of carnal desires,,
he replied respectfully and sensibly :
‘ Oh mother, I do not want you, but I want food.’
Being pleased that the man was brought to his senses
through her, she all along having had recourse to
her native wit alone without informing her jealous
and angry husband anything in the least now placed
before him a dish of the sweetmeat which she had
prepared. While he was doing justice to it heartily
and hastily, starving as he was, she addressed him
thus : —
‘ O mendicant, remember there is nothing in beauty.’
To be captivated or smitten by beauty is to have the
senses rendered obtuse and wealth and time and some-
times life lost. Beauty is like those luddoos of many
colours. The taste of all of them is one and the same
but the difference is in colour. What a beautiful woman
has the same a woman of mediocre appearance possesses.
In keeping you in durance on conjee and a little salt — on
no meals so to speak — I have taught you, I think, a lesson
for having lusted after me — veritably another man’s
property according to divine and human laws since the
day of the tying of the knot — which I hope you will rcr
member to the last day of your life. I now permit you
to go without informing my husband of this foolish
affair of yours. Had I done so, he would have made short
work of you, possessing as he does a jealous and angry
temper such as no other man under the sun possesses.
The mendicant did not stay there long for he was
now sore afraid of the lady’s husband, but hastened to
his house a sadder; and wiser man.
9
66
HEEKAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
No. 23. THE HAUGHTY MAN HUMILIATED
Once upon a time there lived a man who rolling in
wealth would neither recognize, endowed though he was
with eyes, his relations, friends or countrymen, noi lend
his ears to hear what they had to say ; so haughty
was he.
It is said, that Ishwara has in his possession five iron
pegs for chastisement, Firstly to arrest the pride of this
man he had four iron pegs driven into his ears and eyes
and the man became poor. Still wondering at his
demeanour which underwent no change, Ishwara took the
extreme step of driving the fifth peg into the most sensi-
tive part of the system and he was overtaken by fresh
misfortunes of a severer character in being taken to the
Karagruham. This was the culmination and his com-
plete humiliation.
Now in the Kara''ruham Ishwara, in His all-abound-
ing kindness, after the season of His anger was over,
caused the five pegs to fall off from the man and in that
self-same moment he was set at liberty — and ever
since that time he had set aside pride and began to
recognize people and hear what they had to say ; for
he was sore afraid of the five pegs, invisible though
they were.
0 listener, will you not avoid those five iron pegs by
humbling yourself if pride is lurking in your breast ?
No. 24. THE SHAKESPEARE OF INDIA
Once upon a time there lived a respectable and well-to-
do dwija. He had only one darling daughter, as beauti-
ful as the full moon, whom he sent to a patashala. There,
under the pundit of that institution, she acquired all he
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA 6!7
could impart in the sixty-four departments of knowledge.
Fortified thus by intellectual virtuous feasts her outward
behaviour was the reflex of her mind.
In due course she came of age and marriage was dis-
cussed ; and strange to say the very pundit who had
taught her and who stood to her in the relation of
a father, in utter callousness or with no sense of
shame, asked her hand. The girl refused impressing
upon him the fact that according to Nitishastra * He
who teaches is a father,’ but the blunted sensibilities of
the unprincipled pundit would not admit the force of
this argument, and as nothing could induce her to
become his wife he declared that he would do her harm
by marrying her to a village swain, not to a learned
person like herself.
Now the duties of a pundit are so many and as
important as those of the court-bard ; and arranging
marriages between parties is one of them. So our pundit
was sent to distant climes to choose husbands for girls
and wives for boys ; and true to his word he selected a
rustic for our blue-stocking. In due course he returned
and before long her marriage was celebrated with great
eclat, and the garbadhan ceremony soon after came
to be performed and the pair were given a room. But
on the first night the bridegroom had gone to bed.
Attributing this to fatigue, the bride waited the second
night, but to her astonishment he had gone to bed that
night also without even appreciating the artistic arrange-
ment of the room, much less holding such discourse as
lovers know of. From this, concluding that she had
been duped by her teacher but with a view to make sure
of same she had recourse to her native wit and had all the
fittings removed from her room and all the walls painted
with agricultural scenes.
68 HEERAMMA AND VENKAtASWAMl OR
The painting on the wall had the desired effect. He
roused or the infinitesimal intelligence of the bridegroom
in recalling the days he spent in the company of village
shepherds had dawned on him. Upon which his wife
told him to go that very night to the Kalihadaivy' s Mandi-
ram hard by and shut himself up repeating the words
Boodhee evoo (i.e. give intelligence). The swain did as
was advised only differing in pronunciating the words
unintelligibly buddihie, illiterate as he was. The god-
dess some time in the night came to the temple and finding
it shut, enquired who was there. Whereupon the rustic
trembling with fear, opened the door repeating all the
while, Buddihie, buddihie. Asking him to put out his
tongue, she scrawled some mysterious words on it, and
that very moment intelligence came to him as from a
running brook.
Full of intelligence he went to his wife and falling
at her feet, said :
‘ O gracious lady, as you have shown me the path
by which I received a full measure of intelligence, you
are my mother according to the Nitishastra, and I shall
regard you as such.’
The wife was thunderstruck as she did not relish the
idea as it ran contrary to her wishes and, as nothing
could make him return to her, husband as xhe was and
approved of by the gods above and bootulli below,
notwithstanding the fr^ct of boorishness and illiteracy
that clung to him first and now happily gone, she cursed
him, her curse being that he would die at the hands of
prostitutes. The curse, coming as it did from a true
pativrata, took effect ; and strange to tell it was the
prostitutes that sucked Kalidasa’s life-blood.
[This is the Telugu.version of the story of Kalidasa,
the Shakespeare of India] .
POLKtALES FROM INDIA
69
No. 25. THE IMBECILE AND TLE RATS
Boodhdhi voondavadiki yeddhulaidhu
Yeddhu voondavadiki boodhdhilaidhu
zjoS'^aSb.
so runs the Durji’s (tailor’s) proverb.
In illustration of this — at any rate cf*the first part —
the following tale is told : —
Once upon a time a man was greatly pestered by
rats night and day. For a long time, he was planning how
to exterminate them. At last a plan suggested itself to
him : he set the house where the rats were on fire ; and
hardly hard he done this than the rats w?nt into the
adjoining house also belonging to him. He next set
that too on fire, and the rats entered the third house. In
this manner he had six houses, valued at thousands of
rupees, burnt, yet failed to destroy his enemies — the rats.
Imbecile and resourceless as he was, he could think of no
simpler or more effective measure than the one which
involved the loss of thousands of rupees. To what is
this all due ? To the want of a grain of sense ; hence
the proverb.
‘ He who has a bullock has not the sense (to yoke
it to the plough and till the fields and profit by), and
he who has sense has not a bullock (to engage himself
in agricultural pursuits).’
No. 26. THE ROBBER, THE DESTINY-WRITER
AND THE KING
Once upon a time in a certain country there lived a
king, a^din the same country and about the same time,
there lived a notorious 'robber. Bent upon plundering the
70 HEERAMMA ANt) VENKAtASWAMI OR
palace, the robber one cold night, entered the precincts,
but seeing a sentry pacing up and down with more than
ordinary vigilance, his courage sank within him. Still
not wishing to give up the attempt, he hid himself in a
corner as well as he could under the circumstances and
waited for an opportunity with ears and eyes wide open.
Well, what did he see and what did he hear ? He
heard the souiyis of hurry and bustle emanating from
the inside of the palace ; and saw people going to and
fro, the reason being that the chief queen was in labour,
and had given birth to a child.
Hardly had the noise died away and the stir lessened
and calmness reigned supreme than there came a woman
of commanding personality and demanded entrance.
‘ Who are you ? ’ asked the sentry.
‘ I am the Sutvi.’
‘ What do you want ? ’
‘ I want to write the destiny of the child.’
‘ Well, I shan’t let you in except on one condition.’
‘ What condition may that be ? ’
‘ You will declare to me what you will write.’
‘ Agreed,’ said the destiny-writer and got in, and
in a very short space of time she returned and disclosed
the startling tidings that the child born was destined
to be the wife of her own father.
The robber who overheard the conversation all the
while, gave up the idea of plundering the palace and
thought now of purloining the child instead. For being
a loyal subject, notwithstanding his profession, he devout-
ly wished that his king, the father of the people, should
not be thus disgtaced or held up to public ridicule
through the strange freaks of the relentless destiny-writer..
Purloining the child, the robber in his house situated
in a ruined well, had the little thing reared with great care
I^OLKTALES FROM INDIA 71
and tenderness by his wife till the thirteenth year was
attained.
Now the king on his return alone from one of his
hunting expeditions stopped to see this very well, dila-
pidated and ruined though it was ; but what was his
surprise to find a lovely girl of queenly appearance of
about twelve or thirteen years old below ! His heart
went out to her and she on her part being allured (for she
had not hitherto seen the face of man) invited him to
enter. But he was afraid at first to do so. For had he
not heard of evil spirits who, taking the form of
beautiful young women, inveigled men and caused their
destruction ? Aft:r a while saying to himself ‘ Come
what may,’ the king jumped into the well and was
received at its foot by the girl who was a human not a
supernatural being.
At this Juncture the footsteps of the robber were heard
outside, and quick as thought the king was concealed.
Still the robber suspected that there was a stranger in
his abode and called on his wife and foster-daughter to
produce him ; but how could he be forthcoming when
there was no remedy for denial from the lips of the one
person acquainted with the fact ?
However the king was discovered on a future occasion
and the robber, cherishing no hostile spirit invited him to
dinner and, as soon as the dinner was over, told him that
the girl he had fallen in love with was his own daughter.
To make the matter clear, he narrated from the beginning
how he went to plunder the palace; how the chief-queen
was being delivered of a child ; how after the child was
born the Sutvi entered the palace after the dialogue with
the sentinel mounting guard ; how she returned and told
what sjie had written on the forehead of the child ;
how in consequence he changed his original resolution
72
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
and purloined the child so that the king’s name might
not be blackened. ‘ But how can I avert destiny, your
majesty,’ said he in conclusion, ‘for from the king to the
humblest slave downwards we are all children of destiny.
What is written on the forehead must come to pass.
It is the adhrusta of ours we must blame and none else.’
The king sharing not the fatalist view, was over-
whelmed with grief for having committed, though un-
knowingly, the grave sin which ‘ the gods many and
lords many ’ under the sublimary world have not the
power to condone, drew his sword and ran it through
his breast.
No. 27. THE TRUE RECLUSE
Once a son who was in his teens asked his mother :
‘ Mother dear ! What is God ? Where is He, and have
you seen Him ? Do tell me.’
‘ Son dear ! ’ replied the woman : ‘ I do not know
what God is, where He is, nor have I seen Him ; but if
you want to see Him go to an impenetrable forest where
solitariness reigns supreme, and repeat the name Ishwara,
Ishwara with all-absorbing thought on Him alone for
twelve years and there you will realize His presence —
what He is, where He is.’
The son accordingly went to a forest and subjected
himself to penances for twelve years and, after the.
expiration of the period, returned home and told his
mother dejectedly that he had not seen God. Whereupon
the woman questioned :
‘ How have you subsisted ? ’
‘ Whenever I felt the pangs of hunger, i went to this
tree and that tree and ate the berries and leaves thereof, ’
was the reply.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
■73
‘ Then you have not done your penances properly, ■
returned she, ‘ for you had adar. Go again to an
interminable forest where solitude is not broken and
repeat the name of Ishwara for twelve years if you want
to see God.’
As advised, the son went to a forest and practised
penances for a further term of twelve years ; and yet he
did not see God. So he returned home and said :
‘ Mother dear, I have not succeeded in seeing God
though I have performed penances for a further period
of twelve years.’
‘ How have you subsisted ? ’ asked the mother.
‘ I have not subsisted on anything but had recourse
to the expedient of fixing a round block of wood to the
belly and thus have avoided the cravings of hunger, ’
replied the son-recluse.
* Again you had adat, ’ said the woman. ‘ In a
penance there ought to be no adar. So again do penances
for twelve years and then you will assuredly see God.’
The man for the third time went to a forest and
began penances there without using the expedient or
eating the berries of the wilderness or leaves of*^fie
ever-green woods.
Now the twice twelve years’ meditation of our recluse
stood as a memorial before Parameshwara j but He was
always forgetting it. So one evening when He was
driving His chariot in the megha-tnandal, the ever-kind
Parwati-devi, His consort, reminded Him of the recluse ;
whereupon without any tardiness He revealed Himself to
the votary and said : —
‘ O votary, I am extremely pleased with you. Ask
any boon and it shall be granted unto thee.
Fully realizing the presence of the Creator and
emboldened by the words he humbly asked that whatever
10
74
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
he desired might be crowned with success. With the
boon thus conferred the recluse retired home and
conferred benefits on mankind without distinction of
caste or creed. The mother was the first person to be
glad of her son’s contemplation having borne such
beneficial results to man.
No. 28. THE NANGA DEV
In a certain country there lived a woman who had a son.
He was of tender years. One day his mother was grind-
ing corn in the mill, when the boy came to her and
said : —
‘ Mother, I am going to marry.’
‘ Whom ? ’ asked the mother.
‘You,’ replied the child.
‘ You are of tender years ; when you grow up then
you may marry me, ’ said the mother good-humouredly,
knowing the extreme youth of her son.
‘ I am not, I have already grown big, ’ retorted
the son.
Hardly had she turned after hearing the reply than
she saw her son growing tall and big, the langoti he
had on falling off from him, and he with his face
towards his mother going away from her, as if im-
pelled on his course by some unseen force, and then
disappearing.
The yearnings of the mother over the transformation
and disappearance of her son, notwithstanding his
unbecoming conduct, can better be imagined than
described.
[This is the legend current amongst Telu^us of
Nanga Dev or the god of Marwadis (Jainas ?)].
folktales from INDIA
75
No. 29. THE ILL-FATED PENURIOUS MAN
Once upon a time a man was so sorely tried by
daridrium that he seriously thought of going to a forest
to drag out his miserable existence there by subsisting
on the wild berries. So putting his stick under his arm
and catching hold of his lota in one hand and boroo-
gooloo tied in an handkerchief in the other he left the
busy haunts of men. Reaching the forest, he tied the
borodgooloo packet to one of the outspreading branches
of a banyan tree and rested there.
Now on that very day a princess on hfer way to her
father-in-law’s halted in the same forest and missed her
very valuable pearl necklace ; so her servants went and
searched all about the dense Kir*r-r-r forest, ransacking
every nook and corner to trace the thief. Their attempts
seemed about to be futile when they espied our vanavasi.
With suspicions aroused they went to him quickly and
seeing a bundle on the branches of a tree they hastened
to bring it down and opening it what was their surprise
to find the very garland of pearls missed by their royal
mistress !
The moral is drawn that when ill-luck or Sani
pursues one even the bundle of Boroogooloo as if by a
miracle is turned into a pearl necklace to arraign the
possessor of same on a charge of theft innocent though
he may be. •
No. 30. THE MOSQUITOES’ LAUGHTER
In India mosquitoes buzz in the ears dreadfully oi’
horribly and moreover prove sa no ordinary pest by their
sharp bites extracting bloo£- In their connection a
story is told— that when li mosquito drums in the
tympanum of the eiflt it thii4ii& of ent«'i|f the organ
^6 HEERAMMA AlStt) VENKaTaSWAMI OR
with a fury with the express object of bringing out the
man’s brain, but, before doing so, the creature laughs in
derision and the laughter is the noise made in the ear.
No. 31. THE BHAGATMAYA SADHU
Once upon a time there was a sadhu residing in a
certain country who had but few followers. On one
occasion to this very country came another sadhu
from distant climes. The new sadhu used to repeat the
formula ‘ Bhagatmaya ’ at the time of getting up, taking
his meals, taking his seat, going to bed and on other
occasions, such as drinking water, performing ablutions,
etc. The sadhu, who was settled in this country, used to
exclaim Hari, Hari, Shiva, Shiva, on such occasions as
were mentioned above. The repetition of Bhagatmaya
only instead of the name of God very much struck the
latter ; so with a view to finding out the inward meaning
of the thing he invited the religious father to a meal and
the invitation was accepted.
As was natural in expectation of his guest the
Hari-Shiva Sadhu was preparing the meal ; in fact, he
had put the last of the chuppatees into the pan and was
waiting to turn it over when he found that his water had
run short. So away he ran to the staircased well hard
by to fetch a potful of wa^er, telling his guest who had
in the meantime arrived to make himself comfortable by
squatting on the mat until his return. The sadhu com-
plied with the request tp all appearance but, in truth,
went after the host without his knowing it.
To the Hari-Shiva Sadhu, the still waters of the well
appeared to bubble up, foam and rise to the height of a
palmyra tree or two and he was carried , away by the
volume of the overflowing current until he knew no
Folktales from india
77
where he was. Thus for some time he was suspended
between life and death ! but thanks to his stars he came
across the end of a palm tree which he caught hold of
in the manner of Bangaripitialoo and was reflecting
whether he would be providentially saved from going to
Yama, when a shoe-maker’s girl carrying a basket on her
head met his gaze- To her he shouted with all his ex-
hausted energies, ‘ O pilla, pilla ; will you rescue me ? ’
‘ Yes, ’ said, she, ‘ but on one condition that you will
marry me.’
Whereupon the drowning man gave a promise which
she made him repeat solemnly, though inaudibly, three
times and then ran to her hut close by and bringing her
three brothers of powerful build and great animal strength
to the scene, the girl bade them rescue the man in the
water who had promised to marry her. They threw to
him in the current strong mats which he took hold of
firmly by the fibrous ropes attached and continued to put
underneath his body. Then they dragged him by
superhuman strength to the bank with life and limb
safe and sound. Thus was he saved from the peril.
In harmony with his promise, the sadhu married the
shoe-maker’s girl, lived with her and had by her two sons.
Nine years elapsed and one day, recollecting his
previous mode of life with tears in his eyes, he left his
home without any one being aware of it.
The next morning having covered a good distance
overnight, the sadhu found himself on the outskirts of a
city. Here hardly had he taken his seat and pensively
thought again of his previous life than he saw an
elephant approaching him. Being afraid, he turned
aside with a view to avoid it ; for had he not read in the
Nitishastra always to keep fifty paces, away from the
Gajendra. Still the animal made straight towards him
78
heeramma aud venkataswami or
and, instead of doing any harm, poUred the contents of the
poojaloo chemboo, which he was carrying over his head,
sprinkled attar and paneeru over him, threw a garland
of flowers round his neck, took him over the ambari and
walking at a slow and majestic gait, reached the metro-
polis where the inhabitants with one voice hailed the
stranger as their sovereign. Thus as a sovereign the
sadhu reigned in the land for four years.
Now the two sons of the shoe-maker’s girl when they
were come to years of understanding one day asked their
mother, saying:
‘ O mother, mother, what has become of our father ? ’
‘ Alas, I do not know what has become of your
father, my dear sons,’ replied she ; ‘ but I remember
vividly to this day that one night when cruel nature
lulled me to heavy sleep, he abandoned me without a
word ; he has not been, I am sorry to say, seen, nor
heard of ever since.’
Listening to this with close attention and treasuring
up every word of the pathetic little tale, the lads, without
telling their mother, instinctively followed the path taken
by their father and reached the very metropolis in which
he was ! The king recognized them and employed them
in his service without revealing himself and before long
raised them to the highest offices and made them second
to none in the whole realm.
Paralysed by grief at thus being abandoned first by
her husband and now by her sons, the woman too left the
village and, strange to say, took the path trodden by her
husband and her* sons and reached the very capital.
Here she engaged herself in a menial capacity to a
prostitute.
One morning the king, for the first time since his
coronation, drove through the prostitutes’ quarters ; and
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
79
the servant-woman, seeing him pass, exclaimed : ‘He is
my husband, he is my husband, ’ and ran after the
carriage. Whereupon the prostitutes catching hold of
her by the hair, brought her away and administered a
sound beating with cheepoorloo and cha^aloo, telling her
at the same time that the king had expressed his dis-
pleasure at the misdemeanour.
Again, on the self-same evening the king passed
through the prostitutes’ quarters and again the servant-
woman following the royal carriage cried out, ‘ He is my
husband, Tie is my husband.’ And forsooth would not a
woman know him who had lived with her in conjugal
happiness ? Again she received a similar castigation
and reprimands coupled with warnings at the hands of
her mistress in special and the followers of her profes-
sion in general. But for all that her object was gained
and the king recognized her !
So the next day he sent for his wife and after
revealing himself to her and to their two sons he made
the former the dowager-queen and the latter — one a king
and the other a vazeer ; and was instantly back at the
staircased well. After filling his pitcher with water he
returned to his hermitage and found the Bhagatmaya
sadhu squatting on the mat and the chuppatee in the pan
requiring his immediate attention. Having turned it
over he offered jalam to the sadhu to wash his hands and
feet and, having washed himself, placed platters of plan-
tain leaves before the invited guest and asked him to do
justice to the meal; and humbly sitting himself by his side
asked the permission to partake of his meal.
The meal being over, the jadA«-host was lost in
contemplation wondering whether his carrying away by
the bubj^ling waters of the well and the rapid current of
the neighbouring river-course ; his plucky rescue from
80 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
the element by the shoe-maker girl’s brothers ; his
marriage with the shoe-maker’s girl and for the space of
nine years his living with her who bore him two sons ;
his becoming king and reigning over the realm for four
years ; his abdication of the throne in favour of his
sons and the making of his wife the dowager-queen ; and
ultimately and all of a sudden his finding himself after
returning from the well in his humble residence with the
invited Bhagatmaya sadhu sitting and the last chuppatee
wanting to be turned over — wondering whether it was all
an idle dream or a stern reality. But for a long time it
remained inexplicable to him. So he stood reverentially
with folded hands before the Bhagatmaya sadhu and
begged for an explanation. The sadhu, who reached a
higher stage of devotion, said : ‘ Bala, it is all God’s
illusion or Bhagatmaya,' and he added, ‘ An untold
space of time with mortals is comparable to a few
ghatikas with the Creator of the Universe of living an4
dead nature, nay of Time — that fell destroyer itself.’ And
so the sadhu came to understand the inner meaning of
the other sadhu' s formula.
No. 32. THE HUSBAND AND HIS SELFISH
WIFE
Once upon a time there was a wife who taking advan-
tage of the unenquiring disposition of her husband, used
to give him gunjee and kudgu and retain the rice for
making into cakes which she herself ate secretly.
So the husband kindly said one day : ‘ How is this
dear, you do not partake of anything but set all before
me ? Will you not take some ? ’
‘ You earn, it does not matter for me,’ replied the
wife.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
.81
Now the husband, on one occasion, after taking his
frugal (liquid) fare, left the house for his work in the
fields but had hardly left when came the rain down in
torrents and drove him back wet and shivering to the fire-
place giving sufficient warmth. As the fire was dull he
fanned and poked it, when to his surprise he discovered
hidden beneath it a large rice cake just baked.
This he ate and the truth dawned upon him that his
wife had fed herself by making him starve. Thus found
out, the woman’s disgust can better be imagined than
described. By her surliness the ire of the simple peasant
was aroused. So in the evening he fetched a ckintha-
barikay and gave her a sound thrashing, advising her
not to treat her husband so badly by looking more to
herself than to her husband. A lesson learnt with such
bitter experience is apt not to be forgotten, and we may
be sure that the selfish woman remembered it all her
life.
No. 33. THE MOTHER-IN-LAW AND THE
SON-IN-LAW
Once a son-in-law went to a mother-in-law’s. On seeing
him the old woman said : ‘ O son-in-law you have
come. I have not got any grain in the house. I shall go
and fetch some.’
Thus saying she left. But the man knew too well
the inhospitable and selfish nature of his mother-in-law.
So saying to himself, * I am not to be outwitted at any
rate this time ’ be entered the mother-in-law’s house and
discovered there a sugarcane, two balls of butter and
passimu. Some time after, the woman came back saying
that she was unsuccessful in retting anything. The
son-in-law said ‘ O mother-in-law, mother-in-law, in
U
82
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
your absence I had a sweet nap and dreamt a dream in
which I saw a snake which was as long as the sugarcane
in the house and whose eye-balls were like two balls
of butter, and when the reptile’s head was crushed, so also
I dreamt, it resembled passimu.*
The mother-in-law in a moment made out what her
son-in-law was driving at and that, at last, she was found
out. So she placed before the latter much against her
will, the passimu,' the butter and the sugarcane. Doing
justice to them, however, the son-in-law, after saying
Dhandamatta, dhandamatta, went back to his own house
overjoyed in the fact that he had proved more than a
match to his mother-in-law this time.
No. 34. THE PRINCE, HIS WIFE AND THE
FAIRIES
Once upon a time iti a certain country there was a
king. The king had no son, neither had the minister any.
In consequence the grief was great ; and in a moment of
extreme grief they promised to each cthe. that if one
were to get a son and the other a daughter, or vice-versa,
they were to be united by ties of love or married to each
other.
The grief, however, was destined to be short-lived
or proved to be of short duration, for the queen shortly
after the solemn declaration became enceinte and in
course of time delivered of a son. The minister’s wife,
too, conceived and brought forth a daughter.
As time went on the children grew. On the one hand
the minister’s daughter becoming so prudent in conduct,
so beautiful in person and endowed by such charms and
graces that the people exclaimed : ‘ We might find fault
with the sun and the moon but not with this earthly
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
sa
Ramhha.' On the other hand the king’s son, with com-
plete disrespect for Saraswati, threw away his books
on the house-tops and in well-houses and contracted
such vicious habits, that the people said that he was
no meet companion for the lovely sensible minister’s
daughter.
Notwithstanding these disadvantages and frailties in
his son, the king determined to get the minister’s daughter
for him in marriage ; so he sent for the minister and
opened negotiations. When grave objections were raised,
the indulgent father by plausible answers explained
away all of them one by one. Then as a last objection
the minister said, * The prince does not attend darban
even.’ Upon which the king hanging down his head
reminded him of the promise made solemnly. Caught
thus, the minister, keeping silent for a few minutes, said
that he would give his word on a certain day.
That day, after the performance of her ablutions, the
minister’s daughter was dryii^g her long ringlets of jet
black glossy hair in the rays of the sun from the terrace
of her two-storied palace when came her father’s carriage
making a rumbling noise. Without a second thought
she ran hastily (for she remembered at the moment that
that was the day on which her case was to be decided in
royal court) and asked : —
‘ Have you given your consent, father dear ? ’
‘ I have not, my darling, ’ replied the father ; ‘ How
can I, having your best interest at heart, and knowing
fully that the prince is a fool and quite unfit. For this
I have incurred the displeasure of His Majesty, it is true,
but it cannot be helped.’
‘ Give it father, dear, ’ the daughter said, ‘ the next
time ypu meet the king. For if it is written on my fore-
head by Brahma that I must be given to that prince cnly 1
84
heeramma ANt) veukataswami or
must be given, fool though he may be and at whatever
cost. But let there be a stipulation that I must leave
my (would-be) father-in-law’s house at 6 p.m. daily and
return to his house each morning at 6 o’clock. ’
Need it be said that at the next meeting with the king,
the minister gave his consent to the match, laying
emphasis on her daughter’s condition to be fulfilled.
This the king agreed to do in spite of its strange and
binding nature and the marriage was celebrated with
eclat and rejoicings throughout the dominions.
In course of time the royal bride advanced towards
puberty and the prince also reached to man’s estate, and
•still there seemed to be no relaxation of the weird condition.
As before it was in full force ; for hardly had the gong
sounded the six o’clock evening hour than the palanquin
arrived from the minister’s to convey her home. Upon
this some of the young friends of the prince naturally
made fun of him and spoke sarcastically.
Taking this to heart he resolved within himself to do
away with his life. So one night, putting on his jeri-
battalu, he went to a well near a ruined palace and jumped
into it.
Now the well was a very old one and was fast crumbl-
ing to decay. Roots of banyan and other powerful
trees, by breaking through some of the strata of the anti-
quated masonry work a few feet above water, by a
natural process of intertwining, formed a strong matting;
so you see that the prince was landed on nature’s
network just close to a circular hole cut through to
pass a chemboo to the waters below.
With the early dawn came the old man in charge of
the ruined well to draw water ; but what was his surprise
to hear the moaning of a human being in distress
emanating from the well below. He called out and
folktales from INDIA
85
asked who he was and how he had come to be in that
situation, and receiving satisfactory replies the old man
drew him up. Soon afterwards hearing his story in full
and taking compassion of the young man, he gave him
some Katika telling him that by applying it to the fore-
head he would be converted into a fly and could thus
follow his bride unseen by her when she set out from
the palace. Having learnt for himself where she went
he might easily gain possession of her if he carried
out his stratagem carefully. In conclusion, the old
man besought that the secret should not be revealed on
any account or else his head would be shattered to one
thousand pieces, and then took leave of the prince.
That evening the prince, transforming himself into a
fly, followed his wife and saw that, as soon as she left her
palace and reached her father’s house, she did not remain
there, but immediately casting off her clothes and putting
on a cheeray of the finest white lilies and ravikay of the
same flowers, she started and ^walked and walked until
she reached a spot in a sequestered glen sheltered from
human eyes where a banyan and pipal locked into each
other’s embrace. Here on singing a melodious snatch of a
song there came from heaven five damsels of queenly
beauty mounted on a white elephant. Dismounting, these
in company they went to a beautiful Konairoo and putting
aside their dress on the river-bank stepped into it and in
exuberance of their youthful spirits splashed and squirt-
ed water on each other’s face and thus created great
merriment amongst themselves.
While the Kanyakaloo had been enjoying thus, the
prince cast a look around and saw a number of garlands
of pearls. Selecting the largest and exquisitely beautiful
of thenv and imagining the same to be that of the chief
Kanyaka, he took it and flew home ; and again taking
86
HeERAMMA AMD VENKATASWAMI OR
human form by the removal of the kalika was soon
found asleep in his cosy bed.
When the day dawned and an attendant awoke him
he rewarded the man handsomely saying that he had been
dreaming a pleasant dream which he began to narrate in
the hearing of his wife just arrived : —
‘ Last night I thought I had followed my wife who,
changing her ordinary costume on reaching her father’s
house, put on a cheeray and ravikay of lilies, went to a
place some distance off and situated in a sequestered
glen, and on having given a song, five Kanyakaloo of great
beauty came from heaven on a white elephant. Accom-
panied by them, she went to a beautiful konairoo and
diving into it began to play pranks with each other in
the clement. Thus they engaged I came away with the
largest and most beautiful carcanet of pearls lying along
with their dresses on the margin of the konairoo.
Soon after hearing this and realizing that that was
not a dream but^a reality, her husband taking part in it,
she ran to him and begged for the necklace.
‘ I have not got it, ’ said the husband with sup-
pressed laughter.
‘ Yes, you have, pranapathy. ’
‘ Suppose I got it, what will you give me in ex-
change for it, priyay ? ’
‘ My life, my lord.’
^ I do not want your life, but promise only that you
will not leave me in the nights.’
‘ I cannot promise this till the morrow.’
‘ Neither will I give the necklace till then.’
In the evening when she met her companions, the
Kanyakaloo, she told them that it was her husband,
by some inexplicable phenomenon, made off with the
necklace of pearls missed by their eldest sister yesterday
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
87
night, which, however, he promised to give on condition
she would stay with him at nights. On this, as if a thought
struck her, the eldest Kanyaka said: ‘O sisters, I under-
stand the whole thing now. There is nothing inexpli-
cable. With a view to make his wife stay at home he
had recourse to this stratagem. In fact, how could he be
without his wife, young as he is, ayo papum. But I
advise you, sister — pointing to the prince’s wife — to tell
your husband to come with us in the form of a fly when we
go to Indrasabha to dance and then after metamorphosing
himself to play the drum. Keeping time to the music,
we would play with great spirit and being pleased, Iftdra
would ask as to who played the drum. The prince is to
answer that he played it. Then after explanation of the
object of his coming when he would be asked to choose
his wife from the Kanyakaloo, who would all be dressed
in one costume ; he is to select that kanyaka alone on
whose left knee he would see a fly sitting.’
The next morning the wife beaming with joy repeated
word for word the advice tendered by his sisters by
following which she said she would become his for all
ghatikas of the day and night. Greatly delighted the
husband carried out the plan to the very letter and his
efforts were crowned with success. The king also was very
much pleased that he was no longer bound by this peculiar
condition now that the daughter-in-law had become
matured. Without losing time he solemnized the nuptial
ceremony declaring to the world at the same time that his
son had now become a sensible man, and had given up all
vicious habits. In fact he turned over a new leaf. The
prince was thus enabled to enjoy the company of his
wife who cast in her lot with him, without the least
thought that he is a factor in the regeneration of the
world. But what became of the man who gave the
89
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
katikay ? He is dead. His head is shattered to one
thousand pieces. Was this the return for the good he had
done and who is responsible for it ? The wife who
persisted in knowing how the husband first followed her.
In a moment of extreme joy he told her with what
disastrous result we know. But when a woman is bent
upon knowing anything she will not rest quiet till she
knows it. Pertinacity is her nature, broken reed she may
be but man must be careful as not to disclose secrets.
No. 35. THE ZAMINDAR AND HIS TWO SONS
A Zamindar had two sons. One was put to work in
the fields, and the other sent to a Patasala.
Now the mother loved the one who was given to
manual labour and did not care for the other seeking
after knowledge. This the father found out one day by the
manner in which the former received substantial foods
and the latter only humble fare. So, calling out his wife,
asked : ‘ Dear, why do you treat one boy in one way, and
the other in another way ? '
‘ Our eldest boy works in the field and he is given
good food to keep up his health. Besides he earns it.
But the other boy is only studying, which is not hard work,
and is not earning an errati yaigani I give him only frugal
fare ; so you see why my treatment differs,’ replied the
wife.
‘ But you are mistaken,’ said the husband, and send-
ing for two balls of butter he put them on the chest of his
two sons. The one on the chest of the eldest son remain-
ed firm and solid, while the other on the chest of the
second son melted away. Drawing his wife’s attention to
this, he remarked that the boy who was leading the life of
an husbandman was certainly not as hard-worked as the
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
89
other boy who was pursuing his studies ; the butter testified
by its melting away almost as soon as it was put on his
chest — one of the important parts of the body.
For mental work is greater than physical labour : the
one calls forth energies from the seat of the brain while
the other calls from all the limbs, as also the former
taxes a man’s strength, but the latter adds strength to it
and leads to prolongation of life. ' So you see, it is the
brain that should be recuperated by solid foods, not the
limbs, and it should not follow from this that our eldest
son should be made to live on humble fare, in which case
he would not be better able to bear the brunt of labour in
the fields. My only aim in telling you all this is that
you will look upon your sons with an uniform kindness,
replied the husband in conclusion.
No. 36. THE TWO BARBERS
In a certain country there was only one barber. To
noblemen’s houses alone he would go and even then only
in palanquins sent by the noblemen themselves. So the
difficulties of the other classes were very great, so much
so that if one were to get himself shaved then it was
necessary for him to go to the barber, wait there for a
considerable time after payment of fees, and at length
have his object accomplished.
Now to this country there came another barber from
the Southern country. He settled and began his profes-
sion in the manner followed in his own country going to
the residences and shaving there. Finding what a con-
trast there was between him and the resident barber ,
people began to patronize the former and he became very
wealthy.
The other barber heard of this and his wrath knew
no bounds : while the grudge was still fresh in his mind,
12
90
HEERJ^MMA AND VENKATABWAMI OR
he confronted his rival on a public road. 'Stopping this
palanquin, he called him. The barher came and taking his
professional brother for some one in high position, saluted
him, on which the latter demanded in vehement terms,
‘ Who gave you authority to go to residences and shave
at nominal charges when I have the monopoly of shaving
here.’ Nonplussed, the other asked pardon deferentially.
The resident barber then asked in a subdued tone :
‘ What qualification do you possess ? ’
‘ I can shave one-half of the face of a Rajah’s sentinel
while he is asleep. Prithee, what is yours ? ’
‘ I can shave the other half.’
‘ We will put our qualification to the test.’
‘ I agree.’
Now the barbers, as agreed, tried their skill one night
on a palace guard, one shaving one half of the face and
the other the other half when the guard was asleep.
When he got up at the sound of the muezzin for morning
worship, great was his surprise and sorrow to find that
his moustaches and beard had completely disappeared.
So running to the king, he said : —
‘ O Khadawand somebody has changed heads with
me.’
‘ Well, who may he be ? ’
‘ A mischief-monger to be sure.’
‘ Find out and bring him.’
The guard sought in vain to find out the man who
had imposed on him and had almost given up his search,
when he saw a pandaram on his way to Benares and took
hold of him. ‘ What injustice is this ? What injustice . is
this ? ’ the pandaram cried in great dismay. £ut
the guard, not heeding his cries, said : ‘ Come, co-^
you rascal, ’ and dragged him before the klitg and
charged him with having stolen his head. The king,
tt)'LKTALES PROM INDIA ?1-
who was another ‘ Chowpat Raja, ' ordered the pandaram
to give the Mahotnedan his head. ‘ ORaja, in obedience
to the royal mandate, I am willing to give him his head,
but you will be pleased to order him to give me mine, '
said the pandaram having his wits about him.
On this the barbers were sent for. The new barber
cut merely the skin of the throat of the guard but would
not proceed further for mercy’s sake, but the other with-
out the least compunction severed the head from the trunk
— the man, however, as if his senses had come back at the
last moment, gasped out with his last breath : ‘ The head
is my own; only it is clean shaved.’ The case being clear
thus, the pandaram was released who thanking his stars
for so favourable a turn the events had taken, at once left
for Benares so as to avoid further mishaps.
The resident barber complimented the new barber for
his skill in his profession yet chiding him for non-exercise
of cruelty.. From that time they pulled on together very
well.
No. 37. THE OVER-CONFIDENT MARWADI,
HIS WIFE, AND THE GAY LOTHAIRE
Once upon a time there lived a Marvcadi who put up a
hut of mud and wattle in a lonely spot of a forest and
made it tolerably secure by wooden doors. In it he locked
his wife ; and such was his trust in her constancy that
when he used to go to the chowk to ask for alms he
would play on his one-stringed instnuuent to the accom-
paniment of a song, Tukki bikki sub, pativrata aik.'
This was his only, theme ; and a young man, who for
several weeks heard it but could not understand the
meaning, one day followed the beggar stealthily to his
house. ^ What was his surprise to find a solitary dwell*
ing in a forest-like, locality with a, beautiful woman
n
HEERAMMA Al^D venkataswami or
in durese ; and the meaning of the strain now became
clear to pin.
With the sweeping condemnation of chastity rankling
in his mind and fascinated as he had been by the charms
of the Mar wadi woman the young man went to her one
day in her husband’s absence and demanded in a loud
tone ‘ Open your dwelling, or else I would burn it . ’
Horrified, the woman opened it and made friends
readily, she being of the fourth class ; and the next day the
fellow went to the chowk and, buying a stringed instru-
ment, began scraping on the strings to the accompaniment
of a counter-song, Tukki bikki aik, sub samsar. This
struck the beggar and he was on the qui vive to find out the
meaning when one day he saw a pair of sandals outside
the house. Asking his wife how they came to be there, he
was informed that in his absence a man almost prevailed
upon her virtue, unmistakable evidence of which she said
was to be found in what the fugitive left behind him.
Then she argued there was no use staying alone, cut off
from human habitation and questioned what would
become of them suppose he were, for instance, to become
blind and no neighbours being near at hand unluckily
to be helpful to them.
Mistrusting his wife to a certain degree the man
replied :
‘ Where I am there I shall remain and, notwithstand-
ing the disadvantage you speak of, I shall still sing and
maintain you well as myself here without changing my
habitation.’ Sending for the stringed instrument, he began
to play on it and to sing on it with both eyes shut as if
he had become blind already. This was what the faithless
woman expected ; for in a trice the gay Lothario or the
'gallant escaped, making the Marwadi not a whit wiser
for his song and the careful isolation of his wife,
f'OLKTALES FROM INOIA Qj
No. 38. THE GIRL OF THE WOODLANDS,
HER BROTHERS AND THE RAKSHASA
A GIRL had seven brothers. She had neither father
nor mother. Near their house in touch with the forest
there grew a sandalwood tree. The brothers after
tending the sheep would come to the house and say :
‘ O sister dear ! Pray open the door. We your seven
brothers Lakshmaya, Butchaya, Chittaya, Kautaya,
Varadhaya, Mamaya and Pothaya have come.’ Where-
upon the girl would come out and minister to their
wants.
Things went on pleasantly and smoothly for a consi-
derable time ; sister and brothers lived happily together.
But one day the stock of firewood ran out in the house
and the girl went briskly to the forest to find firewood.
Having succeeded, she returned but was watched by a
wicked Rakshasa who told her husband on his return.
' O dear, dear, there was a very beautiful girl here. If you
could get hold of her and eat her, 1 am sure, you will
become possessed of beauty such as hers.’ Highly
pleased at the bait tne Rakshasa without losing time
traced the house by the godhamooloo (thrown along the
track by the girl so as not to lose her way) and learning
how the house opened to the brothers, went to the place
smacking his lips one day and spoke thus : ‘ O sister
dear 1 Pray open the door, open the door. We your
seven brothers have come.’ But the girl thought within
herself ‘ One of my brothers gives out their name (which
the ogre forgot) always and I do not know the reason of
their departure from the rule this time. Further, the
voice of the person asking me to open the door on behalf
of my brothers was like that of one of my brothers it is
true, but the persons might not be my brothers. May be
enemies, who knows ? ’ And hardly had these thoughts
^ HEERAMMA AI^D VE^^KAtASW'AMi OR
crossed the mind of the girl than the sandalwood tree
spoke : ‘ Do not open the door, O Siromani. It is not
your brothers but an enemy.’ Confirmed in her suspi-
cions, the girl did not open the door.
The Rakshasa cut down the tree and again spoke:
‘ O sister dear ! Pray open the door. We your seven
brothers have come. Open the door.’
This time the root spoke : ‘ Do not open the door,
Q Siromani. It is not your brothers but an enemy,’ and
the girl did not open the door.
Thus frustrated in his attempt, the Rakshasa cover-
ing the root with mud placed a nail on the door step in
great anger and went on his way.
Shortly afterwards came the real brothers and ad-
dressed their sister, ‘ O sister dear ! Pray open the door..
We your seven brothers Lakshmaya, Butchaya, Chittaya,
Kautaya, Varadhaya, Mamaya and Pothaya have come.
Open the door.’ To this the root of the sandalwood tree also
seconded: ‘ They are your brothers. Do open the door.’
The girl came and opened and put her right foot on the
doorstep, and in that instant the nail imbedded itself in
her foot and she became so ill that nothing could bring
her round.
When she was expiring, she requested her brothers, not
to cremate or bury her body but to put it in a glass case and
suspend it to a tree. The brothers acceded to her wishes.
Their grief for their deceased sister was so poignant that
they broke up their home ; followed different profes-
sions ; and left for foreign countries in their broken-
heartedness.
Now to the forest there came a king to hunt and,
aiccidenlally seeing the glass case, had it brought down
and opened and what was his surprise to find the corpse
of a lovely girl in her teens, still fresh and showing no
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
95
signs whatever of corruption. He carried it to his palace
and admired the beauty of the girl’s form for a
number of days and one day, seeing something in one of
Jier tiny soft feet, the king drew it out and Wonder of
wonders ! the girl came to life.
In course of time the king, allured by the graces of
the sylvan beauty, married her amidst the rejoicings of
his subjects in the sumptuous feasts he provided, the
grand nautches he arranged and the splendid fireworks
side by side with illuminations resembling day, he got up
for them on the verge of beautiful sheets of crystal water
close to his highly charming summer-house. He was
enjoying conjugal happiness, when one day came the
queen’s brother who had become a bangle-seller. Taking
one of her hands he began putting bamgles on to her
wristlets, when the tears began to flow down his cheeks.
The queen asked the cause of this and he replied :
‘ O sovereign lady ! Your hand is exactly like the
hand of my deceased sister. So I could not restrain
myself from weeping.’ Upon which the queen made
him tell his life’s story. He did so, and she finding it
her own, embraced this long-lost brother whom and the
others she thought to he dead and wept for joy. Soon
afterwards, the other six brothers also were found because
of the diligent enquiries caused to be made in countries
far and near by the king at the renewed entreaties of his
loving wife, whose mind was now set at rest and
her joy complete. Here there is the acme of connubial
bliss — the Rani with her loving husband and her sweet
newly-born babe together with her seven brothers holding
lucrative posts in the State under their royal brother-in-
la.w and I am here. The queen gave me a silk sari
and khuncholi when I went to her and I have just
returned.
96
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
No. 39. THE FAKEER’S DAUGHTER AND THE
WICKED QUEEN
A POOR fakeer had a daughter. To their house a fakeer
poorer still would come and beg and receive alms occa-
sionally. One day the girl was preparing keer and this
fakeer came and rending earth and heavens by his cries
for alms at length concluded thus : —
‘ This is the first place this day in which I have asked
alms. I must get here or I shall not get anywhere.
Besides I have to go to four or five houses more. Don’t
keep me waiting.’ Upon this the girl’s temper became
uncontrollable and she, taking a ladleful of the burning
hot keer from the pan, poured it on the head of the
beggar saying: ‘ Here, take it, you thankless wretch;’ and
the result was a blister of monstrous size on the fakeer's
hand.
This blister the angels from heaven warned the fakeer
in a dream not to'interfere with in any way whatsoever.
And wonder of wonders ! at the end of nine months it
burst and out of it popped a sweet-complexioned infant
who first of all asked for nourishment. In course of
time she grew and became so beautiful a maiden that
none excelled her in beauty in the whole realm.
Now one day the Rani of the place saw her and
greatly struck by her transcendent beauty reasoned with
herself thus : ‘ I am indeed not beautiful. The beauty
of my face is not to be compared with that of the girl’s
left foot. I am sure the Raja would discard me or I
shall fall from his estimation if he comes across her
some day. So I must do away with her.’ With this
resolution she sent some of her servants who interrogated
the girl :
‘ Who are you ? ’
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
•97
‘ I am the motherless daughter of a poor fakeer ’ was
the reply.
‘ Give us that carcanet of jewels glittering on your
neck.’
‘ O sirs, I would not part with it ; it is so dear to me.’
But they took it by force in accordance with their
mistress’ instructions and gave it to her. She exulted for
already she knew that in it was bound up the life of the
poor girl who died the instant it was hung up in the
queen’s room.
Again the fakeer was warned in a dream not to bury
her but to lay her in an adjoining forest under a sandal-
wood tree with the blue vault of heaven for a covering.
He accordingly did so; and where she was laid there grew
in profusion flower trees of many kinds, of varied hues and
rich odours all in full bloom ; mere nature could not
have beautified a place in such a manner. The perfumes
were felt for miles around and the Raja of the place, who
came to hunt in the forest on this side on one occasion,
attracted by the very strong and most sweetly agreeable
perfumes that ever were, came to the spot where the
sandalwood tree was. He was surprised beyond measure
and could not help exclaiming, ‘ O what a place ! nature
sc luxurious and delectable,’ and seeing a number of
attractive beedas lying by the side of what he found to
be the corpse fresh and blooming of a girl of high
virginal beauty, said to himself, ‘ What, if I take a beeda
and chew it ? ’ Hardly had he taken it and wondered
at the queen of beauty than there appeared before him
four invisible paris guarding the enclosure. They took
hold of the Raja by the hand and asked : —
‘ O Raja, you really mean to eat the beeda, you ? ’
‘ Yes,’ said he.
‘ Then go and fetch that carcanet of jewels hung up
13
98
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
in your wife’s room.’ He brought it ; and the dead girl
came to life and herself offered the heeda to the Raja and
the couple were united together by the paris chanting the
bridal song.
The new queen is there with her royal husband, the
old queen having paid the extreme penalty of the law for
her crime ; we are here. Now go and come again ; my
story is at an end.
No. 40. THE KING, HIS SUFFERINGS AND VOW
Once upon a time there was a despotic king. On one
occasion he sent forth a decree that each and every one
of his subjects should send in their daughters to the palace
on their reaching the twelfth year. Needitbesaid that
the words of the decree were complied with of course with
all seeming gladness ; for the arbitrary nature of the
bestial man had passed into a proverb. But all the same
the people looked with horror and indignation upon this
wholesale disregard for the virtue of their daughters’
honour. When they could endure it no longer, they
summoned all their courage and not afraid of their
lives had recourse to a stratagem. The stratagem was
that they selected a sprightly and middle-aged woman
froai the courtesan class suffering from bubo, syphilis
and gonorrhoea and what not, and passing her off for a
virgin daughter of theirs sent her into the palace.
The result was, that the king found himself the un-
enviable possessor of the cruel venereal diseases. Aware
of this but with a view to taunt, the minister came and
said : ‘ O king ! will you be pleased to hold a darbar ? ’
‘ There is a regular darbar here ’ replied the king. Such
was the excruciating pains he suffered that, without los-
ing a minute, he sent for his mother and made a vow that
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
9?
henceforth he would look upon other men’s daughters as
his own sisters. That vow he had kept to the end of his
life, sensuous though he had been. The people also
congratulated themselves that their stratagem had borne
such good fruit.
No. 41. THE GIRL, THE LINGA AND THE
WONDERFUL GIFT
In a certain city there was a Hindu temple of great
architectural beauty but there was no deity in it. This
mattered not to the king’s daughter who used to go and
make her circumambulations of the edifice perhaps with no
seriousness or piety. F ollowing in her footsteps, a common
girl would go and make pradakshina reverentially three
times. This done she would fall to her work of pound-
ing rice, for which purpose she used to take with her
rolloo rokali from her mother-in-law’s house.
This had continued for some time when one day there
came a Linga — we do not know whence it came — and
caught hold of the Athintee-Kodaloo’s feet and said :
‘ I am extremely pleased with you, girl, ask any boon
and it shall be granted unto you.’
The bewildered girl summoned all her courage and
reverentially asked : ‘ O Swaminada, if it pleases You,
grant that I may see the passing away of the soul of
man.’
Soon after the boon was conferred, an opulent man,
who had enjoyed the eight pleasures, died. The girl saw
his soul hanging on to a tree after leaving the body with
great reluctance and shed tears, profusely thinking within
herself ‘ It is because of the sweets enjoyed in life that
the soul is so unwilling to go away completely from the
body.’
100 HEERAMMA and VENKATASWAMI OR
Now this shedding of tears was observed by the girl’s
brother-in-law and reported to her husband. The man
at once suspected her of infidelity and little knowing her
sympathetic nature or remembering her little experience
of the world, called his wife and roared out :
‘ Why did you shed tears ? ’
‘ F or nothing ’ was the reply.
‘ You call this nothing. Explain yourself or worse
will befall you.’
‘ You will repent of it.’
‘ I do not care.’
The girl explained herself fully for fear of receiving
bad treatment at the hands of her husband. And then
(would you believe it ?) her head was shattered into
thousand pieces. This was because of her revealing
God’s maya or illusion.
No. 42. KABEERDASS AND KALIDASS
Kabeerdass was very anxious to see Kalidass and Kali-
dass in turn was anxious to see Kabeerdass, but for
some reason or other they could not for a long time come
to a meeting. However, Kabeerdas, one day, started on
his way and so tired was he, the way being so long, that he
asked an ass to take him. Simultaneously Kalidass also
started and he too getting tired asked a wall to take him.
The one on an ass and the other on a wall, Kabeerdass
and Kalidass, met each other and, having asked their
respective vahanas to retire, they fell to talking together
for hours on things spiritual and on things material.
No. 43. THE PRINCE AND THE DECEITFUL
HOSPICE-KEEPER
A CERTAIN king had seven sons. All of them had
married except the youngest. This last son said one day,
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
lOl
* Father, father, I would like to go to distant countries
and select a girl for myself, the most beautiful I can find,
and then marry her.' So, taking with him as much
money as would be sufficient, he started. In course of
time, reaching a strange country he passed the night at a
Paidharalloo Peddammah's paying a vara for the lodging.
‘ Whence come you, my son ? ’ said the Paidharalloo
Peddammah.
‘ I come from a distant country.’
‘ May I know the object of your coming ? ’
‘ I want to select a most beautiful girl (to wed) as red
as guriginja, as straight as a Koodhuru, possessing a waist
like that of a wasp, and with no defect either in the hands
or feet.’
‘ I have a daughter such as you describe. Do not be
anxious,' said the woman.
Easily taken in by the bait, the prince made over all
the money he had to the Paidharalloo Peddammah who,
on receiving it, brought a covered cage into which she had
put previously a rat, and said : ‘ Here is your bride. Do
not open the cage till you reach your home and are in
your room.’
He laid up her injunctions in his mind, took the cage
and in due course reached his home and what was his
surprise on opening it to find a rat come out and ran up
a wall ! This becoming known to his parents and rela-
tions he was covered with shame and confusion and his
sisters-in-law found occasion to taunt him by addressing
their mother-in-law thus :
‘ O utta, utta, why should we sweep your son’s room ?
Why should we plaster it now your son’s wife has come ?
Why don’t you tell her to do it ? ’
Th&Deepavali festival has now come when the houses
require a thorough whitewashing ; and the prince was
102. HeeraMma ai<d VenRataswami or
sorrowfully meditating when with the onomatopoetic
sound of kick, kick, down came the rat and said :
‘ O Prince, do not be sorry. Let the chunam be
brought and I will whitewash your room.’ Saying so, the
rat humbly entreated the assistance of its community
which was promptly given. The rats dipped themselves
in the chunam-^ots duly brought and ran up the walls in
all directions. Thus was the room whitewashed.
Some time after this, the sisters-in-law again clamour-
ed teasing the young bride, ‘ Mother-in-law, why don’t
you send your youngest daughter-in-law to fetch water ?
Our necks have become quite sore.’ Again the prince
was filled with sorrow. Again the rat came and said :
‘ O Prince, do not be sorry but send for a brass
vessel.’
With the help of its race the rat had the vessel which
was brought in duly carried to the adjoining well. The
vessel was filled but to what purpose. It could not be
brought up even by the united exertions of the whole rat-
tribe. Upon which our rat set up a wailing : ‘ O Prince,
I really pity you. It is I who am the cause of your being
in this trouble, not you.’
Now this weeping and wailing fell on the sympathetic
ears of Parvati in the Kalkigandhari rathri or middle of
the night, who at once said to Parameshwara who sat
beside her : ‘ O Lord, do get up, get up. I hear cries of
distress. Let us go and enquire.’ So they went and enquir-
ed and the rat unfolded the complete tale of woe, saying
‘ O Aya, O Amma, for the sake of getting a partner the
poor prince spent all the money he had and I was given
unto him. That Paidharalloo Peddammah deceived him
out and out. His melancholy has no bounds. When 1
could not relieve his distress even a little of it wit|i all the
efforts of ray race in order to avoid the sisters-in-law’s
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
103
jeering to which the prince is subjected 1 set up a loud
lamentation.’
Hearing this sad tale, Parameshwara at once turned
the rodent into a girl of twelve summers with andkailoo,
tnoorwooloo, pavadaloo and other female paraphernalia
and gay clothes on. Beautified thus, she entered the house
with a brass vessel on her head ; the husband in an ecstasy
of delight fell into a swoon.
In due course, the prince’s wedding was celebrated
with great splendour and rejoicing and ere long he ascend-
ed the throne of his father because of his deserts which
now began to shine forth more than those of his six
brothers. In his country now he is prosperous and
enjoying every comfort coupled with happiness with his
wife, his aged parents, his brothers and his sisters-in-law
who by the by now gave up taunting him because of his
having brought a really charming woman for wife ; and
we are drinking here conjee water. Now go ; the night
has far advanced.
No. 44. THE BRAHMIN, THE OILMAN
AND THE PROSTITUTE
In a certain country there lived a Brahmin who used to
go on his begging rounds and get uncooked rice more
than his wants. Whatever was required he would keep,
and convert the rest into cash. In this manner he made
much money and laid it by.
One day he confronted a prostitute tO whom he put
the query : ‘ Has any one employed you or will you allow
yourself to be employed by any one? ’ Being told in reply
that she was open to an engagement, he instantly paid
her fifty rupees and went into the bazaar.
Here at an oilman’s, he purchased two pice worth of
oil but hardly had he left the shop when he stumbled
104 HEERA.MMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
against a slab spilling the oil. Looking at this the oil-
man humourously observed, ‘ O oil has become cheap ! ’
and the Brahmin, seriously thinking that oil really had
become cheap, broke the 500 pots of oil arranged
in the shop, spilling the contents. Whereupon the oil-
man filed a suit against him with the Kotwal for damage,
but for some reason or other the case was dismissed.
Again, at another shop the Brahmin purchased two pice
worth of oil and reaching home took a good nulgu bath
and wearing a silk-bordered pancha or dhoti and gold
laced angavasthram went to the prostitute’s.
The prostitute received him with open arms. Never-
theless it took her two hours to bathe, two hours to dress
and it was five o’clock in the morning before she sat
beautified and dressed on the cot beside the Brahmin.
Said the prostitute throwing her arms round the
Brahmin’s neck, ‘ O Lover, do tell me a storj .’
‘ What story may I tell you, dear ? from Bhagavatam,
Bharadhum or Ramayanam.'
‘ Tell a story from the Ramayanam.’
‘ There are seven Kandas (cantos) in Ramayanam.
Balakanda, Ayodhyakanda, Sundarakanda, Yudha-
kanda, Aranyakanda and Utharakanda. From what
kanda may I tell? ’
‘ From the Yudhakanda.’
‘ What part? ’
‘ That part relating to the burning of Lanka by
Anjanayulu.’
‘ May I narrate that part or show it in realism or
give a realistic picture of it ? ’
‘ Show it in realism or give a realistic picture as you
think best.’
Hearing this, the Brahmin took a valuable koka or
sari and igniting or burning a portion of it applied to the
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA 105
prostitute’s house. It was the month of Vaisakh whci^
everything is dry and easily takes fire ; and the house,
costing many hundreds of rupees, was burnt to ashes in
the twinkling of an eye together with the valuable prop-
erty in jewellery and clothes, etc., which it contained.
Filliping his fingers, singing the song of the burning
of k-anka by Hanuman, he went on his way ; and the
prostitute without losing time preferred a suit with the
magistrate against him, and the suit like the previous
one was dismissed and the Brahmin got off this time too
(without burning his body).
Evidently the oilman and the prostitute were not satis-
fied with the decisions arrived at in the courts which were
said to have been regularly constituted and, unanimously
agreeing that their cases would be favourably settled in a
State Court, they went to the Brahmin and said :
‘ O Brahmin, will you come to the Native State thirty
stages hence so that we may have our cases resettled ;
for certainly we have been wronged.’
' Ganga nainu ranoo ’ replied he at once and, con-
sidering a little, said : ‘ If you pay me five rupees per
stage and you, prostitute, allow me to spend my time in
your company, then I may make up my mind to go with
you.’
The oilman and the prostitute consenting to the terms,
the Brahmin started with them taking with him his vankara
kuna, panchapatra, chemboo and vootharaini. In course
of time they reached the Native State and losing no time
started for the royal court- As they neared it, the Brah-
min said : ‘lam not going to move a step further until
I am given the oilman’s silk-bordered dhoti.' This was
given ; for both the prostitute and the oilman knew what
kind of man he would turn out to be df refused. Stylishly
wearing it, our hero went to the first mounted guard
14
106 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
followed by the prostitute and the oilman, and the sentry
taking them for a troupe or company of strolling Bhaga-
vatam players or minstrels, the Brahmin being the
manager, the prostitute the dancer and singer and the
oilman the sanaykadu, asked the manag;r what remunera-
tion he would give for letting them in. ‘ Half of what I
get ’ was the ready reply ; and with similar promises to
the seven rows of sentinels they got access to the royal
court.
Erelong the king came. The complaint was lodged.
The hearing was fixed and the oilman called on a certain
day when the Brahmin beckoned to the king point-
ing two fingers, and the king suspecting that two
thousand rupees were offered dismissed the suit. When
the prostitute was called, again the Brahmin made a sign
pointing three fingers and the king suspecting that three
thousand rupees were now offered, dismissed the suit
also.
Now the Brahmin exculpated from all the charges,
the king asked him of the promised sum, Rs. 5,000. ‘ I
have not even a torri gavva (broken shell) with me
replied he. I only meant that the oilman be fined Rs. 200
and the prostitute Rs. 300.’
Accepting this as an empty excuse and frowning his
brow, the king sentenced the Brahmin to receive fifty
lashes till the back was lacerated and bled.
Coolly accepting this. His Majesty’s pleasure, the
delinquent Brahmin said:
‘ If it pleases Your Majesty, I have a very humble
request to make.’
‘What is it ? Say on,’ rejoined the king.
The request is. Your Majesty, that I gave my vaku
dcthMM or solemn promise to the first guard that I shall
give him half of what I get here ; in the same manner
Folktales from india
107
half of what I get to the second ; half of what I get to
the third ; half of what I get to the fourth ; half of what
I get to the fifth ; half of what I get to the sixth and
half of what I get to the seventh. As the three dathams
— manodatham, dhanna datham and vaku dathant — are
sacred, not to say binding, and these cannot be violated
or retracted, 1 earnestly entreat of Your Majesty to divide
the reward evenly between the guards and myself.
Laughing in his sleeves the king admired the man for
the cunning tricks displayed and sent him away with
presents revoking his order of punishment.
Thus was our hero a gainer. Besides these presents
he had, as already stated, amassed Rs. ISO for travel-
ling 300 miles ; achhapatra or doles of rice in the villages
or towns visited and favours gratis at the hands of the
prostitute who, being not ‘ righted,’ now took three hand-
fuls of earth and putting on the Suryanarayana, cursed the
Brahmin, the magistrate and the king. As for the oil-
man he kept quiet feeling the loss in his mind. Now go
(and come) your house is distant. The clouds are
gathering in the high heavens (rain expected of course)
and your food might be getting cool.
No. 45. THE IMPOVERISHED MERCHANT
AND THE FICKLE-MINDED WIFE
There was once a certain merchant who suffered a
reverse of foitune and became so poor that it was with
great difficulty he maintained his wife and himself.
One day, however, he was so unsuccessful that he could
not get anything even to buy a morsel of bread and he
told this to his wife. Perfectly chaste as she had been
the woman did not know what to do as hunger was getting
the bettej: of her, but being possessed of great beauty and
personal attraction she, as if she lost her head at the
108 heeramma and venkataswami or
mohient, went to where young gallants congregate with a
view to attract their attention, but they did not care a bit
for her. Completely humiliated at the frustration of her
object though she had stooped so low, she was returning
dejectedly wholly absorbed in her thoughts when some
one pulled her sari aside and disappeared. She did no*
understand the meaning and this so worked in her mind
that the woman made a clean breast of the whole affair
to her husband.
‘ O dear, dear,’ he said, ‘ I understand the whole
thing now. It is because of my not having lusted after
w'omen that strange men did not lust after you. I re-
member vividly having pulled aside the sari of a woman.
So you see that your sari was pulled aside, your chastity
remaining untouched even though you offered yourself.’
Before long God favoured the ex-merchant and he
becaihe as rich as Kubera. His wife shared his pros-
perity but she always blamed herself for her weakness.
No. 46. THE SILLY MERCHANT
A MERCHANT finishing his business in the shop one day
went home and found his wife in an ocean of grief. He
asked her the cause. She would not tell him. Again he
asked her the cause and then with tears in her eyes she
said, ‘ O dear ! dear ! when you were out, a man pulled
aside my sari.’ The merchant was stunned when he him-
self, it is strange to relate, pulled aside another man’s
wife’s sari at that very hour and reflected on the wise ‘ it
is because of my having pulled the sari of another man’s
wife my wife’s sari was pulled.’ And he told so to his
wife when she grieved the more saying, ‘ I would to God
you have hot committed that piece of indiscretion and
allowed the undue blemish to be attached to me even wh^h
1 am dead and turned to dust.’
PoLlCtALES tl4DlA
I6d
No. 47. THE KING AND THE THREE
OLD MEN
In a certain country there was a king. Like all other
ordinary mortals, he had gone the way of all flesh ; ahd
funeral ceremonies were performed over him by the son
who now ascended the throne.
The young king naturally opened the treasury with a
view to know what it contained and, side by side vrith
silver, gold and precious stones, he came across massive
lumps of something resembling gold but not gold. These
piqued his curiosity and sending for the mantri said : —
‘ O mantri, mantri, will you kindly tell me what
these lumps are ? ’
‘ I do not know, yoUr Majesty ’ replied the mantri,
‘ but there is an old man here who Inight fell you what they
are.’
The old man (his age was 100 years) was summoned
and he came in a palanquin sent for the purpose. To him
the king put the question : —
‘ O old man, do you knoW anything about this lump ? ’
showing him one of the lumps.
‘ I do not know myself,' replied the old man, ‘ but my
father might tell.’
The old man’s father (his age was 200 years) was
summoned and he came riding on a horse that had b^Oh
sent out for the purpose; and the king asked him showing
him one of the lumps.
‘ O old man, do you know anything in the matter ? ’
* I do not know,’ replied the second old man, * but
perhaps my father will explain.’
The second old man’s father was summoned and he
came on foot without making use of the State carriage
sent for him. In the same manner the king questioned
lio HEERaMMA ane venkataswami or
him showing him all the lumps ‘ O old man, do you know
what these lumps are.’
‘ Yes, Sir, I know,’ replied he. ‘ In your great-grand-
father’s time a heavy famine fell on the land carrying off
thousands of men. This adversity was followed by an
extraordinary and very rich harvest, a single grain of
wheat weighing three quarters of a seer, and this sufficient
to feed three or four persons, and these lumps are single
grain apiece of that time.
‘ I see,’ said the king; but struck by the extreme age
of the old man, he asked :
‘ What is your age, Sir ? ’
‘ My age is 300 years, Your Majesty.’
‘ How did you come to such an old age, keeping
still splendid health when all other inhabitants of earth
are locked in the eternal sleep of death.’
‘ Because of my having indulged in pleasure once in
two years ’ replied the old man.
Turning to the old man’s son, the king put the ques-
tion:
‘ O old man, what is your age ? ’
‘ My age is 200 years, Your Majesty.’
‘ How did you attain to that age when all the others
are lying in the grave.’
‘ Because of my having indulged in pleasure once a
year ’ replied the old man.
Turning now to the second old man’s son, the king
put the question.
‘ 0 old man, what is your age ? ’
‘ My age is 100 years, Your Majesty ’ replied the old
man.
‘ iiow did you come to that age ? ’
‘ Because iff my having indulged in pleasure once a
week ’ replied the old man.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
ill
This set the king athinking, but we do not know
whether he shaped his course so as to prolong his life as
these old men (whom he dismissed with presents mightily
pleased) have done, surrounded as he was by pleasures
and temptations of the court.
No. 48. THE KING AND THE SHEPHERD
There was once a pretty well off shepherd tending his
sheep. A certain Mahomedan king on his way to the
verdant grazing ground one pleasant summer morning
espying him, held up one of his fingers inasmuch as to
say that there is only one God. But the shepherd, think-
ing this to mean that one sheep was required by the man,
held up two fingers, declaring in his magnanimity that he
would present not one but two sheep ; but the king infer-
ring from the sign that there is one God and one Prophet,
Mahomed, sent for the shepherd through the Vazeer and
gave him a liberal largesse.
Such is the world : one understanding one thing and
the other another thing ; and there are always two inter-
pretations of one thing — one a good and the other a bad
one.
No. 49. ELLAYI AND MULLAYI
There used to meet at a tavern every evening two indivi-
duals of the names of Ellayi and Mullayi. Under the
influence of wine Ellayi would say : ‘I shall build a
house and take contracts,’ and Mullayi would say ‘ I shall
open a shop and amass money ’ and so forth. But hardly
had the day dawned than they would go to their respective
callings, forgetting everything they had talked about over
their glasses. When they met again the next evening and
U'2 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
intoxicated themselves they would carry on their conver-
sation in the same tenor.
‘ Oon ’ (3l) says the listener.
What oon (3?) ? Neither the one ever built a house
nor the other ever opened a shop or did anything of the
kind they boasted to do.
The moral of this story is : People say : ‘ We promise
to do this thing and that ’ but like Ellayi and Mullayi they
do not do anything. They follow some calling ; humble
or otherwise and pass away just as they had come leaving
no trace whatever behind them.
No. 50. THE KING AND THE DERVISH
Once a dervish went to a king and said : ‘ O king,
what would you give if you were dying from extreme
thirst in a waste sandy desert where oases real and unreal
are few and far between, any one offered you a glass of
water.’
‘ Half of my kingdon^, to be sure ’ replied the king.
‘ Well, then, what would you give if when you are
obstructed from passing eurine any one by virtue of his
drugs makes you to ease yourself even. by one drop ’
asked the dervish again.
‘ Half of my kingdom ’ said the king,
‘ So, if your kingdom,’ concluded the dervish, ‘ is worth
only a cup of water to allay your thirst and a bit .of drug
making you to relieve yourself, then that kingdom is quite
worthless. Come away and turn a dervish and give your
nights and days to your Creator who is more than yqur
kingdom and you and yours on this sinful earth.’
Need it be said that the thoughtful king renounced
his kingdom and became a dervish, a dervish of the true
type.
Folktales from india
US
No. 51. THE KING AND THE BARBER
In a certain country there was a king who was never
known to suffer from ailments or send for a physician.
This fact had reached the adjoining countries and a
barber, well versed in all the tricks belonging to his race,
said within himself ; ‘01 shall make the king unwell
and afterwards make him better and reap a harvest of
reward.’ He said this nor did he stop here, but went to
the king’s metropolis in due time and cried : ‘ Lo ! here a
barber come from a distant country. Never was a barber
who could shave so smoothly and painlessly and beauti-
fully well.’ This excited the king’s surprise and he
called the man to shave him, but greater was his wonder-
ment when he found that the barber dilly-dallied, shaving
here and shampooing there, paring finger-nails at one
moment, paring toe-nails at another moment and (rimming
moustaches at the third. But when the breakfast hour
came, the king took some pounded nulgoo, put it in his
mouth and drank a little water ; and this was not
calculated upon by the barber. For it was by the
breach of regularity in meals, that he strongly thought
of making the king unwell. Foiled and frustrated
in his attempts however, he came home blaming his
destiny.
The lesson is that if we are regular and "unctual
and abstemious in regard to food we shall never
become ill.
No. 52. THE CROW AND ITS YOUNG
There was a crow. She had four young ones. Every
day she was accustomed to go out to gather insects and,
15
114 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMl OR
standing before the nest, would say calling the names of
the young birds :
‘ O Dwiya Gambeera, do open the door.
O Lachanna Raghurama, do open the door.
O Pekkev Sundari, do open the door.
O Pairay Ramannah, do open the door.’
On this the birdies would open the door and receive
their mother who would then minister to their wants,
young and half-fledged as they were. This had continued
for some time and things went on well.
Now one day, another bird, a strong adversary of the
crow, went in the absence of the mother-bird to the nest
and in a feigned voice said : —
‘ O Dwiya Gambeera, do open the door.
O Lachanna Raghurama, do open the door.
O Pekkev Sundari, do open the door.
O Pairay Ramannah, do open the door.’
The birdies hearing the voice and inferring that their
mother had come, opened the door ; and at once they were
pounced upon and eaten. Soon after the mother-bird
returned and knocked at the door, but to no purpose ;
the evidence that her offspring fell a prey was before
her eyes in the tiny feathers strewn here and there on the
ground. Her grief was inconsolable ; so that she went
straight to an adjoining well and there branded herself
on the right of the neck exclaiming ‘ Dwiya Gambeera,
branded on the left, exclaiming Lachanna Raghurama ;
again branding herself on the right exclaimed Pekkev
Sundari, branding on the left exclaimed Pairay Ram-
annah. This done she threw herself into the well and
wns no more,
fOLKTALES fROM INDIA
MS
No. 53. THE YOUNG MAN, THE POLICE
OFFICIAL AND THE BER TREE
A CERTAIN well-to-do man knowing that his end had
drawn nigh sent for his son and said : ‘ My son, I shall
now leave you for the bourne from which I came ; but,
before doing so, I want to lay two injunctions on you. The
one is, that you will not under any circumstances plant a
ber tree in front of the house ; the other is that you will
not cultivate friendship with a police man.’ So saying, the
man died and funeral ceremonies were performed over
him by the son.
Believing in the wisdom and vast worldly experience
of his father, the son laid his father’s advice to his heart
and observed it scrupulously for a time ; but as time further
sped, the young man became sceptical and set aside the
last words of his parent and planted a Ber tree and
cultivated the friendship of a police man.
About this time a robbery took place in the town and
suspicion, strange to say, fell on the young man; and the
person deputed to trace the crime was the very police
man, the friend of the young man, who abruptedly entered
the suspected house, examined it in and out and found
nothing. Still he had the young man dragged along to
the tribunal without evincing even the least friendly
feelings for him, friend though he was ; and while he was
being so dragged along, his turban came in contact with
the thorny branches of the Ber tree and came down to the
ground to his great shame before an assembled crowd.
In due course the case was called and, despite the con-
coctions of the police official to bring home the charge to
the young man, the young man was acquitted. All the same
his reputation was gone, his father’s injunctions passing
through the crucible and showing their truthfulness.
U6 HeeramMa and venkataswAmi or
Henceforward the young man had nothing to do with
police functionaries and, as regards the thistle tree, it was
chopped down and used as firewood.
No. 54. THE WOMAN, HER LAWFUL
HUSBAND AND HER PARAMOUR
‘ Kathalunni yatha layai
Kapuram rendoo ayai
Ninna sachhina koondhailoo
Naitiki koora ayai.’
‘What is it ? Tell me,’ said a narrator repeating the
above lines when asked to tell a tale. Inability being
expressed to solve the riddle, the narrator explained : —
There was a man and wife. The woman was unchaste
or inconstant and was carrying on. When she was with
her paramour one night, the lawful husband unexpectedly
knocked at the door, and quick as thought, the woman got
up and hid the former and, receiving the latter, ministered
to his wants and went to sleep by his side as if nothing
had happened. This was not so coolly taken by her
lover ; so coming up from the hiding place he killed her
lawful husband on the spot.
This dead man, he took to the place of execution with-
out making the least stir and, casting a noose round his
neck, left him dangling from the gallows as if he had
hanged himself ; and taking the deceased man’s wife he
lived with her as her married husband, the woman, of
course, was privy to all this mischieL
Now to this hanging-place, some time after, came the
woman to collect fuel or gather firewcod, but what was her
suxpiise to find a hare killed underneath the corpse of her
real husband which had got loose from the dangling posi-
tion and coming down, as it did, evidently crushed the
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
11 ^
hare attracted to the spot to browse on the green grass
growing there in profusion. Suppressing her surprise^
she took home the hare with all possible haste so as
to avoid suspicion and made curry of ; and when her
newly-made husband and herself had partaken of it she
repeated the words : —
‘ Kathalunni yatha layai
Kapuram rendoo ayai
Xinna sachhina koondhailoo
Naitiki koora ayai
Kundhailuni champinavadu sachhi
Naitiki aru nailaloo ayai ’
in exemplification of her own case.
‘ Do you now understand the riddle ? ’ asked the
narrator of the listener. Now go for the present.
Translation
Stories all have beqome sorrowful matters.
Two had been (my) married lives.
The hare that died yesterday
Has this day become (our) curry.
The man who killed the hare
Died six months ago.
No. 55. THE MELON-PLANTER AND
THE JACKALS
On the sands of a river-bank a man reared up water
melons. At nights, nay in open daylight, packs of
jackals used to make depredations and. destroy the fruits
wholesale. Becoming quite disgusted, the poor man did
not know what to do for a. time but at last resolved to
send his daughter of tender years to watch in the daytime
li« Heeramma And venkataswami or
at least. The cunning jackals, on the first day however,
inveigled the little girl by saying that they would search
for lice on her head ; and when some were pretending to do
this, others were digging a hole saying that that was to put
the lice in; and in this very hole they buried the girl and
went their way, of course, after making depredations.
In due time the father (or melon-planter) came and
missing the girl shouted :
‘ O daughter, where are you? ’
‘ Underneath your feet ’ was the reply.
Looking in all directions about him and not finding
his daughter, the man again shouted : —
‘ O daughter, where are you? ’
‘ Underneath your feet ’ again came the reply.
Whereupon he scraped underneath his feet and found
his daughter alive.
Reclaimed and recovered in this miraculous manner,
the girl again regularly kept watch and the jackals were
greatly checked in their depredations, but at the same
time were thinking of ways and means to be at liberty as
before.
The melon-planter also on his part was not idle : he
was maturing plans to torture the jackals or destroy them
altogether. Soon one occasion he muffled himself up in a
blanket and sat under a lonely bush without making
the least stir. The jackals, took him for a beehive and
one of them put his tail into the hive. The melon-planter
took hold of it and pulled it off. In like manner all the
jackals put in their tails and to their chagrin and shame
lost them.
Feeling the loss of their tails keenly, the jackals made
their way to the Pillaiyar SwamVs temple and prayed :
‘ O God, if you be so gracious as to cause the death
of the melon-planter, we will kill a sheep and offer it to
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA 119
you as a sacrifice.’ This prayer was continued for some
days and the melon-planter observed the jackals go to
the temple daily and was curious to know what they went
for. So one day he went to the temple secretly, remained
hidden behind the Vigraha, and watched, when the jackals
came and, to his surprise, ejaculated’,: ‘ O God, if you
would be so gracious as to cause the death of the melon-
planter, we shall kill a fat sheep and offer it to you as a
sacrifice.’ The melon-planter, without being excited,
answered: ‘ Your prayer is heard and granted.’ Where-
upon the jackals went away rejoicing, and when actually
the melon-planter had not made his appearance in the
field, they considered him dead and killed a fat sheep and
offered naiwaidhya and laid platters for themselves.
All of a sudden they thought themselves unclean and at
once ran to the river bank to bathe.
Now at this juncture the melon-planter came and re-
moved the greater portion of the food which the platters in
a row contained ; and putting dirt in every one of the platter,
and covering it with small quantity of food, remained
behind the Vigraha- Meanwhile, the jackals returned
after their ablutions and one of them went to the platter
and smelling dirt, remarked : ‘ I smell dirt, I smell dirt,’
when all the jackals said: ‘ Hush! don’t say that, don’t
say that. Eat, eat.’ Another went to his platter and in
the same way said: ‘O, I smell dirt, I smell dirt,’ when
again in one voice all the jackals exclaimed: ‘ Hush! O
don’t say that, don’t say that. Irreverence. Eat, eat.’
On this all the jackals without raising any complaint
began doing justice to the dirty" meal before them, when,
from the back of the Vigraha, came the melon-planter
with a stout cudgel and mercilessly belaboured the jackals.
They escaped, however, with their lives through the door
l^ft ajar,
1?0 HEERAMMA AND VENkATASWAMI OR
Though escaped, their desire for revenge became the
greater ; and their depredations were so bad that the poor
melon-planter was at a loss as how to get rid of the pest for
a long time. But at last he hit upon a plan. He spread
a net on the precise melon-growing spot and the jackals on
their first visit were caught in its folds. The melon-planter
now took them to the sea and drowned them one by one and
hus rid himself of the pest. Ever since he has flourished.
No. 56. THE SEVEN PRINCES AND THE
FAIRIES
In a certain country there was a king. He had seven
sons. One day they expressed a wish to go on an
hunting excursion and the royal father gave his consent
saying : ‘ My dear sons, I would advise you to go to
three directions but at the same time exhort you not to
familiarize yourself with the fourth direction even to the
extent of one square angula of ground. It is so
surcharged with perils.’ The young men at the time
promised to follow the advice and after preparation set
out — where do you think ? — for the very direction which
had been forbidden. Their confabulation came to this
only ; for youth is such. It minds not perils nor sets
value on parental counsel.
It was not long before they came across a deer in the
forbidden country, and to it they gave chase with
unparalleled ardour all the day long but could not brought
to bay ; and the night began to throw its mantle of dark-
ness on the landscape around and still the sportsmen, who
had not tasted of such sweet pleasure before, pursued the
animal and when they saw it enter a river they also entered
it on their chargers unmindful of the waters, yvhen in
place of the illusive deer lo and behold seven Kanyakaloo !
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
121
Their beauty was such that even the heavenly apsaras
bowed their heads in inferiority and Brahma expressed his
inability to create so fair forms emitting the sweetest of
perfumes from their braided soft jet-black hair covered
tastefully in circlets with the immaculate mullai pushpa-
mulu typical of their inward virgin chastity.
These princes the sweet imps took to their palatial
mansions abounding in luxuries and saw to their com-
forts besides delighting them in every conceivable way.
Young and susceptible to influences of love and finding
all that was good in their charming hostesses, the princes
married them a la Gandharva.
Surrounded by every pleasure and comfort the princes
stayed with their wives for a considerable time. During
the period the youngest prince ever and anon observed
his wife weeping irrepressively on every occasion, such as
the bringing in of meals, offering water to wash hands
and feet, but did not understand nor did he ask his wife
the reason of it. Simultaneously, one day the princes all
asked permission of their wives to see their brother’s
faces which, they said, they had not seen since the marriage
immersed as they were in pleasure and happiness, and
when this was accorded the youngest brother naturally
spoke :
‘ O brothers, your sister-in-law now and then weeps
bitterly. Do my sisters-in-law also weep as she does ? ’
‘ No, no,’ replied the brothers, ‘ they do not weep. It
is very strange. Her sisters might be upbraiding her for
some cause or other. Or there might be other reasons*
Do enquire and let us know whether good or bad.’
Accordingly the prince when he found his wife again
weeping asked: —
‘ O dear wife, my short-statured wife, why do you
weep ? What are you afraid of ? Do tell me, your
16
122 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
husband as I am and sworn to be such before the goddess
in the temple, and you will have no cause to rue it.’
‘ O my dear lord, ’ replied the wife, ‘ I am not anxious
for myself — a woman who might as well have been born a
tree in the forest — but for yourself and your brothers.
Spell-bound as I am by your love, I am veritably your
slave. For the true love I bear you, I do not wish that
harm to the extent of a mustard seed chould befall my
husband or my brothers-in-law. My reputed father, the
rakskasha, went on a foraging expedition two months
ago and he is expected to return this month. When he
comes he will make a meal of you and your brothers.
So I am sorry and weep. But you will escape from the
imminent peril if you follow my advice. The advice is
that you should take half-an-hour’s leave some day,
let this day be the latest, gradually increasing day by
day upto twelve hours and then on the twenty-fourth day
you will reach a river. When you cross this river you
will be safe.’
When the brothers next met, the youngest explained
to them the cause of his wife’s weeping and they said:
‘ Assuredly ! Yes ! your wife is tender-hearted ; she
must have been born in Devatagana and so advised you
for you and your brothers’ escape from the rakskasha.
The suggestion is good. It may be the only one- Let
us begin taking half-an-hour’s holiday to-day.’ What they
resolved they did and on the twenty-fourth day, when
they got a twelve hours holiday, they rode and rode, their
horses and themselves perspiring freely till they reached
the river and this, all the brothers crossed except the last.
When he was in the act of crossing, with great hurry
and flurry came the Kanyakaloo and took hold of the
prince’s horse’s tail and would not leave him so • that he
did not know how to extricate himself- Then came the
THE CENOTAPH
To face p. 12S
folktales from INDIA
123
modest and tender voice of his wife — an unwilling worker
in the rakshasha's interests — Hulloa ! cut off the tail and
cross the river.
No sooner said than done and the prince landed
safely on the other bank and joined his brothers ; but
the poor princess for all the true love she bore towards her
husband fell a victim to the ire of her rakshasha sisters :
they turned her to ashes. In the meantime the rakshasha
returned, and when the matter was related to him he,
smacking his lips, said :
‘ O children dear, why did you turn her to ashes ?
I would have made a meal of her. She was not my
daughter as you are. She had only come from a king’s
nursery. So she naturally showed her racial qualities
in not assisting rakshashas, but preserving her own
species from coming to grief even at the cost of her
life.’
Now to the princes, they returned to the capital
safe it was true, but when their royal sire came to know
that his advice had been despised and the forbidden
direction taken, his wrath knew no bounds and it was
some time before it cooled down. Again, the princes
started on an hunting expedition and unwittingly found
themselves on the confines of their previous perilous
hunting ground. Suddenly came the soul of the burnt
princess whispering to her husband slowly in the howl-
ing wind ‘ Go hence or evil will befall you and your
brothers, dear.’ The prince accordingly with his
brothers left the forbidden ground and followed the chase
elsewhere; and when he returned to the metropolis he
erected a cenotaph to keep green the memory of his wife
who saved him and his brothers from destruction at the
cost of her life, her spirit the second time saving them from
a similar fate. The inscription on the tombstone bore— >
124 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWaMI Ok
SACRED
TO THE MEMORY OF
MY DEAR WIFE
WHO THOUGH DEAD IS STILL LIVING BY
THE REMEMBRANCE OF HER SIGNAL
KINDNESSES CARVED ON THE
TABLET OF MY HEART
IN OUR SHORT CONJUGAL LIFE WE SAW
EACH OTHER AND OUR SOULS MET
I SEE NO PORTRAIT* OF HERS
YET THE PORTRAIT IS EVER AND ANON
BEFORE THE MIND’S EYE
AND IS NOT LIKELY TO FADE OR CORRODE
TO THE END OF MY DAYS HERE
WHETHER THAT BE SHORT OR LONG.
No. 57. THE MAN AND THE SNAKE
Once upon a time a man was bitten by a snake which
India possesses in great numbers and varieties and of
venomous type or otherwise ; and the fright he got was
such, that he began to foam at the mouth and gave
himself up for lost. Opportunely, a medicine man came
and, knowing that the snake was not of a poisonous kind
but a mere Neeroo Kuttay or Neella pamoo, administered
to him drugs perhaps more to cure his fright than any-
thing else ; and brought him round so that he became as
if nothing happened to him.
Now some time after, the man who was ‘touched’
(i.e. bitten) by the snake ascended a tree and a friend of
his from below jokingly said, ‘Look up! Overhead look!
there is a snake of monstrous size and highly venomous.’
She was not painted nor photographed in her 'life time,
Ji'OLKTALES FROM INDIA
125
Taking this to be true and imagining that the reptile
had come down and bitten him, he foamed at the mouth,
turned green like a leaf, and breathed his last. Such
is fright !
No. 58. THE KHADIRA TREE AND THE AXE
Once upon a time a man went into a forest with an axe
and, seeing a khadira tree, gave it an initial blow with a
view eventually to bring it down.
Then said the tree :
‘ O ! Why do you strike me ? ’
‘ A bit of you is in me. What can I do ? ’ replied
the axe.
No. 59. NAVLIPITTA AND PIGLIPITTA
Once upon a time a Piglipitta saw a Navlipitta and,
envying it greatly, said : —
‘ What 1 Could I not be a peacock ? ’
So saying it puffed itself out and strutting about in
pride, called forth all the energies of which it was
capable and began uttering cries such as that sacred
bird is accustomed to make ; and the result was that the
haughty bird burst itself and died.
No. 60. THE MILKMAN AND THE RAMA YANA
Once a Gollavadu went to hear the Ramayanam read.
Resting his chin on his staff he was listening intently
when a mischievous man came and sat down on his
back ; and strange enough the Gollavadu bore the burden
evidently without complaint all the time the epic or
rather a portion of it was being read and explained.
i 26 heeramma and venkataswami or
Morning came and some of his neighbours asked
him : ‘ Did you hear the Ramayanam ? ’ ‘ Yes, ’ said
the Gollavadw, ‘ but it is no ordinary affair. It is about
as heavy as a bullock-load. ’ {Ramayanam sama-
yanam yeddhu baruwu motha).
‘ How, ’ said they, and the simpleton explained how
something heavy sat on his back while the Ramayanam
was going on. Hearing this they all laughed and
remarked : ‘ Verily, verily, the Gollavandlu are great
fools.’
No. 61. THE DECEITFUL WEAVER
Once upon a time a weaver leaving his own village
came to another village.
Now in this village there were no weavers, so the
people took a great liking for him and encouraged him
in every way. This encouragement the fellow did not
deserve. Foi, telling the people that he was to make
pooja to Pilli-umma before setting up his spindle shanks
for weaving, the weaver borrowed jhoomkaloo from one,
todaloo from another, a gold ornament from a third and
a silver ornament from the fourth. Taking all these he
walked off no one knew where, and the poor simple
villagers who were completely duped did not understand
the weaver’s saying with double meaning attached.
* Sookkurawarum ikkararum.
Saniwarum paniwarum.
Adiwarum poyaiwarum.
Somawarum vachhi choochookondi.
• Friday — staying day of mine here with ornaments, of course.
Saturday — working day in connection 'with poojah or packing up.
Sunday — departure day (of mine with ornaments, of course).
Monday — on which day you can come and see for yourself the setting up
)f spindle shanks and all, or weaving going on, otherwise meaning you shall
see nothing for my back shall have turned upon your village.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
127
No. 62. THE KING AND SELFISH BARBER
A KING had a barber whom he would ask occasionally :
‘ How wags the world ? How are my subjects ? And
what about grain ? ’
The barber, who possessed and closely guarded always
a bit of gold as large as an hen’s egg and looked on the
world from the standpoint of his own prosperous
circumstances, would reply :
‘ The world is all right, O king. The subjects are
happy and contented. Grain is very cheap.’
Now one day the barber lost his gold and felt the
loss keenly. The next time the king was having a shave,
he naturally asked the barber : ‘ How is the world, O
barber ? How are my subjects ? And what about
grain ? ’
Upon which the barber feeling the loss of his gold
exclaimed : ‘ O king, the world is in sore straits ; the
people are dying of starvation, the prices of grain have
gone very high.’
[Persons in comfortable circumstances never consider
the distresses of the poor until they themselves fall into
trouble.]
No. 6.3. THE MAN AND HIS TWO WIVES
A MAN had two wives. One wife used to shampoo one
leg and the other, the other.
Once the first wife went to her mother’s house. The
husband returned home in the evening from his work,
and feeling fatigued and his legs aching, asked his other
wife to shampoo them.
‘ Why should I shampoo both legs ? ’• said she, ‘ I
shall shampoo the one that is apportioned to me.’
128 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
On this the Husband took her to task and she in
wrath threw a curry-stuff pounder (of stone) on the leg
not apportioned to her and broke it.
In course of time the other wife returned and, finding
the leg apportioned to her for shampooing broken, took
a curry stuff pounder and broke the other one.
Thus the man lost both his legs.
The moral is : Do not marry two wives.
No. 64. THE GODDESS AND THE KING
Once the Goddess of Cholera {Ammavaru in the original)
was making great havoc in a city, cutting down old and
young without distinction. Bewildered and hard pressed,
the people knew not what to do in order to induce the
Goddess to go away, for they were forbidden by the king
to offer any living sacrifice.
Divine as she was, the Goddess knew that the hearts
of the people were well affected towards her, so, burning
with rage, she appeared in her own terrible form to the
king by night in a dream and made this demand,
‘ Give me a human sacrifice and accept a boon, or I
shall make a dead man of you.’
Awakening in the dead of night in great fear, the
king ran hither and thither searching for a man
whom he might sacrifice ; but did not come upon any
save the family priest locked in the sweet embraces of
sleep. Him, without the least scruple for his sacred
character, he wanted to sacrifice. So arousing him he
said : ‘ What do you say ? I want to give you at once
as an offering to the Goddess.’
In his amazement the priest was unable for a few
minutes to make reply, but at length collecting his
thoughts he said, ‘ Yes, you may ; but what have I done
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
129
to deserve this treatment at your hands, which were ever
strangers to sacrifice even of the lower animals, not to
speak of* higher beings. To tell you the truth, I am not
afraid to die but I have a wife and children to whom
I must bid a tender farewell. So for this purpose will it
please Your Majesty to allow me a respite ? I shall
appear before you to be sacrificed at this hour to-morrow
night.’
‘ So be it,’ said the king, and with much reluctance
entered his bed chamber.
Now the priest, burning with rage, ran to the God-
dess’ temple and said in vehement terms —
‘ Oh Goddess, you are certainly kind. For wor-
shipping you with zeal and piety all these years of my
life you now demand me as a sacrifice. A fine Goddess
and a fine reward indeed ! Was a priest ever treated in
this manner before ? ’
‘ It cannot be helped,’ replied the Goddess. ‘ What is
fated must come to pass. We cannot avert destiny.’
Resigning himself calmly to his cruel fate, the priest
went home, passed the time of respite with his wife
and children with seeming cheerfulness. When the
midnight hour approached he aroused them gently from
sleep and told them of his doom and, speaking a
few touching parting words, ran to the king, true to his
word.
The king immediately sacrificed him. The Goddess
was mightily pleased and asked the king to name the
boon.
‘ I ask no other boon at your hands,’ said the king,
‘ but that of bringing to life the poor priest sacrificed ’.
Biting her lips the Goddess granted the boon, but
exacted.a promise that he would not stand in the way of
her devotees in his kingdom offering mere animal
17
130 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
sacrifices to her. And that is why nowadays aniniai,
not human, sacrifices are offered to the Goddess of
Cholera when she attacks a city.
No. 65. THE WOOD-SELLER AND THE
SEVEN FAIRIES
There was once a poor old .woman. She had a lazy
son whom she maintained by cutting and selling wood.
One day the boy said : ‘ Mother, mother, I will go to
the forest and bring fuel. Will you have an axe made
for me.’
Complying with her son’s request, the woman readily
got an axe made for him and from that day the boy would,
in right earnest, go to the forest, hatchet and string in
hand, and bring back fuel. This he would sell on
entering the village, give half of the proceeds to his
mother, reserving the other half to himself.
With the other half he would purchase levdees, and,
having taken his seat on a ruined fountain, call the
village urchins and say : ‘ Call me king So-and-so and
I shall give you a rupee each.’ Good-humouredly they
would call him a king and he, as promised, would give
them one of the rupee-shaped sweets (levdees) apiece.
This went on for some time.
Once when he was on his way to cut and bring fire-
wood, he saw a bag of coins on the wayside, and was
wondering whether to take it or leave it where it was,
when a merchant came along, to whom he at once said ^
‘ Take that bag of coins lying there.’
‘ I do not want it: it is not mine.’
Then you can present it to the king with the message
that Harishchandra Raju (for so he called himself)
sends it to him.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
131
The merchant did as advised. The king was
extremely pleased and sent twelve luddoos as a return
present to the young wood-seller. Evincing no desire
to have the sweetmeats he asked the merchant : ‘ Where
are you going now — to your own country or some
other ? ’
‘ I am going to such and such a country,’ replied he.
‘ Then will you take these luddoos to the king of that
country with my greetings ? ’
The merchant agreed this time also and gave the
luddoos which were filled with precious gems, such as
Heeras, Lais, etc. to the king and received from him for
the wood-seller, as return present, some very fine black
steeds.
Poor wood-seller, what would he do with such a pre-
sent ? Where would he find the wherewithal to feed the
animals ? So he again asked his kind merchant :
‘ Where are you going this time ? ’
‘ I am going to the country qf a certain queen.’
Will you kindly take the present to the queen with the
best regards of Harishchandra Raju ?
‘ Yes, ’ said the merchant, and he fulfilled his promise
as he had done on the previous occasions.
The queen on receiving the present was extremely
pleased. For, at a game of chess with a neighbouring
queen where the wager laid was horses, she had lost the
game and, for a long time, was in perplexity as to how
to settle the debt, when most opportunely the present came.
Furthermore, the queen, instead of sending a return
present, was burning to see Harishchandra Raju and
expressed her desire. But he would not comply with her
request ; only when the point was again pressed later on
^ consented to receive her on a certain day.
Revolving in his mind how to receive so august a
132 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
personage as a queen he made for a well, when half
returned from the forest, to put down on its brink his
faggots of wood and rest for a while. But what was his
surprise on coming to the well to find there several beauti-
ful suits of female attire ! Taking these he hid himself.
Now these dresses belonged to the seven fairies who
were bathing in the well. Their bath over, they came
out and their consternation can better be imagined than
described at the sudden and mysterious disappearance of
their clothes.
‘ Sister dear, I have lost my sari,’ said one.
‘ So have I,’ said another.
‘ Sister dear, I have lost my chaddar, ’ said the third.
‘ I also : my choli is missing,’ said the fourth.
Thus were they talking amongst themselves when
they espied a man behind a tree peeping at them. They
at once beckoned to him and asked him to return the
clothes, for which favour, they said, they would help
him whenever he stood in need of aid whether, human or
superhuman. As a guarantee of good faith the fairies
gave him one hair, each, instructing him on this wise :
‘ Whenever you want our presence for anything, •you have
only to throw a little bdellium over fire and put the hair
in the smoke and at that moment we shall be, wherever
you are, ready, irrespective of distance or time, to do
your bidding.’
Thus assured he gave back the fairies their clothes
and wended his way homewards with his faggot of
wood ; and hardly had he reached his home when he
was informed of the coming of the queen. Instantly he
summoned his fairies and asked them to call into exist-
ence a superb palace with luxuriant furniture, rich
viands, nectarlike drinks and countless other, things
besides, with debonair damsels to wait upon the royal
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
133
guest. This was done in a trice and the queen mean-
time arriving was greatly pleased with all she saw in the
romantic abode of Harishchandra Raju he himself not
present though she was naturally curious to see the
personage who so hospitably entertained her and had
made a present of some of the finest black steeds that
were ever bred in any stud. But the desire could not be
gratified, our hero sending word that he would return
the visit three days hence.
In truth, our hero, with the aid of his fairy friends
who again supplied him with all his wants from wearing
apparel of the first kind to a retinue of magnificence, re-
turned the visit in grand state and the queen was in rap-
tures of delight. Young and unmarried as she was (besides
a queen in her own right) she fell in love with him and
married him amidst great rejoicings and splendour.
The pyrotechnic display called the Lanka was greatly
admired by the populace and lingered in the minds of the
mirth-loving young children for many a day. It com-
prised crackers exceeding the noise of cannon and guns,
Catherine wheels, rockets going up into the air with mathe-
matical precision, Tarajole or Taramandal ascending
with meteoric speed and shooting out tiny stars of many
colours, Sursurbuttees, little balloons sent one after
another in numbers to the cloudland, not to speak of
mahtabs — green, red and white lights, Chhichboodloo
(flower-pots), Nagmodis or Pharoah’s serpents, Roman
candles and quibs.
Need it be said that ever since that memorable occa-
sion our Harishchandra Raju bade adieu to poverty, for
his rescue from which, he was ever grateful to his fairy
friends ; and in company with his wife the queen
enjoyed, the sweets of life. The old mother also was not
forgotten £tmidst his prosperity.
i34 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
No. 66. THE KING’S SON AND THE
PROPHECY
Once upon a tinae there was a king. For a long time
he had no issue and therefore was in great anxiety as to
how to perpetuate his race. Various and hard were the
austerities he had gone through, and bitter and nasty
were the medicines he had administered to himself.
At last the gods favoured him and a son was born.
Precisely noting the hour of the child’s birth he
consulted the astrologers and passing strange was what
they revealed to him. They said that the infant which
had just come into existence would, on attaining man-
hood and marriageable age, fall a victim to a tiger-
As time sped the love of the father for his son
increased because of his gentle disposition and good
behaviour as a student. Side by side with his love,
piercing grief found a lodgment in the father’s breast
because of what the astrologers said from the Panchang ;
but brooding over it he had a palace of glass erected,
rendered safe from tigers, where, amidst numerous
sentinels and bodyguards, he kept his son and hoped for
the best.
Seeing the prince attain to man’s estate the queen
asked her royal husband to arrange for their son’s marri-
age. The king arranged it and celebrated it on an auspici-
ous day with great rej.qicings amidst a great concourse of
people from kings and princelings to courtiers and
peasants. In the midst of the celebration there suddenly
appeared a tiger who carried off the bridegroom in his
saffron robes. And great was the grief of the parents,
great the surprise of the crowd.
the morrow enquiry was made as to how the tiger
had come since the jungle haunted by tigers was so many
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
133
miles off, the country had enjoyed an immunity from
the ravages of tigers from time immemorial, and the
palace was made tigerproof so to speak. The only
answer forthcoming was that the tiger drawn on one of
the walls of the palace became a veritably living one
and with a spring carried off the prince in the midst
of marriage and from the very side of the bride. Thus
was fulfilled the prediction of the astrologers.
No. 67. THE YOUNG MAN AND HAZARI LAL
OF BAIDARS’ DAUGHTER
There was once a very rich man of the name of Hazari
Lai in the country of Baidars. He had an only daughter
who, through being excessively petted by her parents and
brought up in the lap of luxury, became very over-
bearing and imperious. Though of marriageable age
her proud resolve was, that she should marry that men
only who would receive five smacks with a shoe every day
at her hands. Need it be said that because of this
resolution of hers none deigned, essayed or condescended
to ask the hand of the proud and rich girl for a long
time. At last, however, a dauntless young man of
humble circumstances appeared as a suitor on the scene,
willing to become her husband on the condition required,
and was accepted.
The morning after the celebration of the marriage
the proud newly wedded wife came and said to her
husband : ‘ O come, let me have the stipulated opportunity
of giving you five smacks with my shoe this day.’
‘ O yes, you are at perfect liberty to have it, dear,’
said the young man, ‘ and I am also ready, but will
you be pleased to excuse me for this day ? ’
136 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
‘ Good, I will excuse you this day, but you had
better not expect this indulgence in future,’ said the
proud girl.
‘ So be it,’ replied the husband.
Glad to escape the degradation of being beaten with
a shoe by his wife for a day even, the young man made
his way to the bazaar and purchasing a cat and a dog
there returned to his father-in-law’s mansion. He
reached it when the lamps were lit and the cows were
returning from pasture in the uplands and called out to
his wife :
‘ Have you my meals ready ? ’
‘ Yes.’
‘ Well, bring them.’
Hardly had she placed them before him when the cat
mewed,
‘ Ah 1 ungrateful wretch that you are. You mean
to say that I would not give you a morsel of
food ? ’
So saying, he sprang forward and catching hold of
the creature twisted its neck and threw it away.
The fright of the young wife had better be imagined
than described : she perspired from head to foot.
Some time after, the dog came and put its mouth into
one of the dishes. Immediately the choleric young man
drawing his sword from the scabbard cut him in two,
saying : ‘ Wretch ! You too ungrateful ! I did not dream
of that. Hitherto I bad a high opinion of your canine
race. You think that I am so greedy a man as not to
give you a bone to pick ? ’
Seeing these things with her own eyes the proud
wife was thoroughly frightened and easing herself in
her garments in consequence never asked for the fulfil-
ment of the condition.
FOLKTALES PROM INBIA 13?
And the young man was pleased that his stratagem
had been so far successful in humbling the girl’s pride
but was bent upon taming the pride the more. So on one
occasion he brought his carriage and called his wife to
come with him saying that he wanted to go to his
parental home. But she would not. The father too
came and said, ‘ Go, do not be afraid. Not the slightest
harm will befall you. You are the daughter of Hazari
Lai and by virtue of your affluence, not to speak . of your
ancestry, you have a right to enforce the condition if you
so will it and need not be afraid of any one.’
‘ Let the daughter of Hazari Lai be mingled with the
dust and let the condition go to perdition ’ replied the
daughter.
Persuading the girl however the father made her go
along with her husband, who took her to his humble
cottage and put her on bread and water for full fifteen
days. Having passed through the ordeal the girl,
wonderful to relate, came out a* woman of meek spirit
laying aside her haughty behaviour and taking her right-
ful place as a pativrata. This may sound passing
strange but are not the daughters of India meek spirits
and pativratas even without an ordeal ?
No. 68. THE FOX AND THE FERRYMAN
Yairu dhatina varaku Ellaya
Yairu dhatina taruwatha Pullaya.*
* Translation.
Till we cross the river or till our object is accomplish-
ed, we say Ellaya sir, Ellaya sir, that is we flatter him.
After we have crossed the river or gained our end, we
say ‘ Go away, sir,’ that is we make as if we had nothing
to do with the man whom we had begged for a favour.
18
138 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
The following story is narrated in exemplification of
the above saying : —
There was once a fox who wanted to cross a
river but could not owing to the river being full.
Espying a ferryman he at once ran up to him and
said ;
* O Ellaya sir, Ellaya sir, will you take me to the
other side ? ’
The man, taking compassion on the creature, ferried
him across the river, but the fox, instead of thanking
his benefactor, said only ‘ Go away, sir ’ and of course
fled as if he had not had anything to do with the master
of the boat.
No. 69. THE FAULTY BRAHMAN
In a certain city there was once a Brahman of the name
of Venkatabhatloo versed in all the Shastras, Vedas and
Mimamsas, and who was virtuous and good ; but he had
one moral shortcoming. Though a married man he was
in love with a washerwoman.
To that washerwoman’s house the Brahman would go
every night at eight o’clock and return home at day-
break or in the early morning of the next day after
cleansing himself in the river Ganges.
Now in the city of Kashi there was another Brahman
who was holy and of unblemished character who was
wpnt to take a bath in the holy waters of the Ganges.
The Brahman would go early in the mornings to the
river-bank; and concurrently with his arrival, strange
to say, a Rajuhansa, with the dirtiest coat imaginable,
would put in his appearance there, and entering the
element come out spotless and clean. This was observed
for a considerable time by the holy man who reflected
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
139
and wondered what it meant, 'when one morning the
Rajahansa, as usual, plunged into the river and
emerging as a sweet girl of twelve years, spoke to the
Brahman thus : —
‘ O holy man, in a certain place, there is a brother
Brahman. He, I regret to say, contaminates the Ganges.
He keeps company with a laundress in the nights, and in
the mornings he dips himself in the river and pollutes
the element. Do you now understand the meaning of
the vision ? Would it not be possible for you to reform
the man, who, to tell you the truth, is reported well in
other respects ? ’
Hearing these words the Brahman set out in search of
Venkatabhatloo and on the third day at sun-down or so he
came upon his house. But the Brahman was absent and
the Brahmani (Venkatabhatloo’s wife), a true pativrata,
offered the holy Brahman water to wash his hands and
feet and an asana to sit upon, after which informed
him that her lord had gone out. Whereupon the
newly arrived Brahman at once repaired to the holy
bank.
In the morning the two Brahmans met each other on
the river-bank and after exchanging salutations the
Brahman from Kashi said : —
‘ I have undertaken the journey from Kashi merely to
see you.’
‘ You have done me a great favour, ’ replied the bad
Brahman, ‘ and I will do anything for you that lies in
my power.’
‘ Will you really ? ’ said the Kashi Brahman.
‘ Yes, ’ replied the other.
Then take up Ganga-jul in your hand.’
He. took some ; when the Kashi Brahman said
‘ Give* up the company of the washerwoman.’
140 HEERA.MMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
At this startling revelation the Brahman was dumb-
founded ; and need it be said gave up committing the sin
hereafter which he swore in the name of sacred Ganga
that he would not commit again.
No. 70. THE STORY OF ROLOO AND
MUDHDHAILA
Once a roloo went to a mudhdhaila and said sorrow-
fully, ‘ O mudhdhaila, mudhdhaila, I am pounded daily
from dawn of day till sandhya lamps are lit.’
Hearing which, the mudhdhaila exclaimed in sur-
prise, ‘ What, roloo, you complain to me of your being
pounded ? You are pounded on one side only but I am
pounded on both sides:’
When one man tells his grievances to another, the
latter, if more aggrieved than the former, narrates the
story as much as to say that his case is a very sad one
compared with that of the other.
No. 71. HOW ENGLISHMEN GOT THE BEST
BOONS CONFERRED UPON THEM
God was conferring boons. The Englishman was
answering call of nature then, but hearing of it made
himself clean at once with a piece of paper that lay by,
and running speedily presented himself first. So God
conferred upon him the boons of greatness, wealth,
superiority^ etc.
The Indian also was answering call of nature then,
but though he heard of the bestowal of boons made him-
self thoroughly clean with water and went. The result
was that he was late and lesser benefits in consequence
were bestowed upon him.
~Thi» is the reason why the Englishmen are superior
in power and everything, and the Indians inferior.
WLlfTALES FROM fN-DiA
141
No. 72. HOW ENGLISHMEN LOST THEIR
CASTE
When Englishmen first landed in India they enquired
who the high caste people were. Certain persons who
were, it seemed, of high caste pointed at the dwellings of
the dhers, chamars and mehtars beyond the village limits,
saying : ‘The people staying yonder there are the high
castes.’
Believing this to be true, the Englishmen sought
hospitality at the hands of those hereditary outcastes, and
the consequence was that they lost their caste. Other-
wise the Englishmen would have certainly come to be
regarded as of high caste by virtue of their descent from
the same high born forefathers — the Aryans — and pro-
vided they gave up eating beef.
73. THE LILLIPUTIAN AND HIS FIELD
There was once a fellow as short as a betel-nut. He
planted a field as large as a chata and the doves came
and ate up the crops. For a long time he did not know
what to do, but at last he hit upon a plan. He struck
thorns in the field and when the birds next came their
sensitive bodies came in contact with them ; and ever
since that day they have not alighted on the field. And
the resourceful Lilliputian was mightily glad of it.
GENERAL NOTE
This is a nursery tale without, properly speaking, any plot and
is narrated perhaps to arouse the interest more than amuse the
young folks or children. It has humour also . — Pokuntha pottiwUdu
chdtantha saittoo vaisinSdoo. Meaning a man as short as a betel-
nut, wha planted a field not larger than a winnower (drawing com-
parison of thb man with reference to his smallness in stature).
142 HEERAMMA ANt> VENKATASWAMI OR
No. 74. GOD, THE DOG AND THE COCK
The world was being created and God sent out a dog
from the heavens ordering him to ascertain how much oi
the world had been created. The dog went and found
that half of the world was created ; but, attracted by the
lust of taste, he did not go back to report the result of
his errand.
Then God sent a cock to enquire what had become of
the dog and to inform Him how much of the world was
made. The cock came but like the dog did not go back,
but cried with all his might and main kook'’oo koo,
kookka radhu ‘ The dog is not coming.’ Then the second
half of the world w'as completed and the day dawned.
So you see how the dog and the cock are left with us
and what is meant by the ‘ cock a doodle do ’ ’ of the
domestic fowl.
No. 75. GOD AND THE ELEPHANT
It is further related that God also sent an elephant
down to the earth to ascertain what has become of the
dog and the cock and to come back. It also did not obey
His commands but exclaiming ‘ What would the span-
in-length-man do tome?’ the huge beast remained on earth
without going back, attracted by the worldly pleasures only
to repent of its conduct. For when it throws mud over its
head it rues how it disregarded God’s advice and came
to be badly treated by that very man whom it first
slighted, because of his small size and dimensions as
compared with its own, little thinking of his intelligence
which went to subdue him with humiliation.
^ The Hindu explanation of the early morning or four o’clock cock-
crowing is, that God takes a bath at that hour and while so doing let falls a
drop of water on the bird and wakes him to declare to the world the birth of
another day.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
143
No. 76. GOD AND THE BULL
Now after the dog and the cock, God sent down a bull
to declare to mankind that, in the world just created,
there should be three daily baths and one meal a week
for human beings ; but the bull, by mistake, reversed the
order and stated that there should be three daily meals
and one weekly bath. So you see at the present day
we take meals thrice and bathe over the head (and this
bathing termed a oil-bath) once a week, the daily
automatic washing of the body not to be taken into
consideration.
No. 77. AGNI AND VARUNA
In the court of I-ndra there was once waged an animated
discussion between the God of Fire, and Varuna, the
God of Rain, as to who was the greater.
Vamna contended with great plausibility of reason-
ing that he was greater.
‘ No, no, you are not,’ said Agni.
‘ I am greater.’
Seeing the fruitlessness of the discussion the God
of Rain said: ‘ We will never come to a decision in this
way. You show your greatness and I will show mine.
And then it will be manifest who has the superiority.’
The God of Fire consented to the proposal and began,
from the east, burning villages and everything that came
in his way and Varuna extinguishing them by heavy
downpour of rain. Agni seeing that the day was being
lost, invaded as a last resource a black rocky cavern in
the Meru mountains, but there too the Rain-God wa.s
upon him and Agni mysteriously disappeared.
This is the reason why, when we strike a bit of
black-rock with steel, fire is produced.
14* , HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
No. 78.‘ THE PRINCE, THE MEDICINAL
LEAVES AND THE MUHURTA
There was a king. He had two wives. The first
wife had two sons and the second wife, one. The king’s
sight was failing him and he called his two sons by his
first wife and said :
‘My dear sons, my eye-sight is failing me, and it is
with great difficulty I see. Do get the leaves of a certain
tree which will restore my sight.’
‘ We will get the leaves, father dear,’ said the sons,
and next day started for the place where the medicinal
leaves were said to abound. In the course of their journey
they came to a country where there was a very rich and
high-class courtesan. With her they played a game of
packeese'i, hoping to win the beautiful courtesan ; but they
lost the game and in accordance with the stipulation
made beforehand, became her servants like the rest of
the kings and princes who had played and lost. Their
work was to water the plants in her garden.
Some time after, the only son of the king’s second
wife, obtaining unwilling permission from his loving
mother also started in search of the medicinal leaves
and in the course of his journey came to the very country
where his brothers were serving their time in the
courtesan’s garden as water-carriers. It was dark when
he arrived and so the prince at once sought shelter with
the usual hospice -keeper Paidaraisi Peddhamma. After
taking his meals he asked : —
‘ What is the news of the place, mother ? ’
‘ What news may I give you son? ’ said the old
woman. ‘ What news shall 1 tell ? There is a courtesan
’ \ good story. — The Rev. John Leadrum.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
145
here under whom are several kings and princes, watering
trees in her garden. They all lost their game of pacheese
with her and came to be such. However expert a player
may be, he is sure not to win. For the courtesan has
a cat, upon the head of which is kept a lamp ; and when
the woman is losing she gives a sign to the cat who
forthwith upsets the lamp; and in the confusion the
courtesan changes the places of the chessmen to her own
advantage and wins the game.
Hearing this with breathless attention he made up
his mind to play a game with the courtesan and, in fact,
went to her mansion the next night and commenced
playing. When the play was at its height the prince let
loose two rats with which he had provided himself
previously and without anyone’s knowledge; and immedi-
ately the cat pounced upon and pursued its natural
enemies upsetting the lamp which it supported and
creating great confusion. Turning to good account the
confusion produced by his stratagem the prince changed
the place of the chessmen to his own advantage and
easily won the game.
The courtesan now becoming the servant and slave
of the prince, the prince set at liberty the kings and
princes employed as water-carriers in the garden who all
thanked their deliverer with one voice. Among the
princes set free were the prince’s two brothers. Telling
them to wait till he returned he started with all haste in
quest of the medicinal leaves.
The way was beset with dangers and hardly had he
gone one hundred yards than he was confronted by a
formidable ogress, the terror of the country round. To
her he gave battle with might and main and proved
victor in the combat. Extremely pleased with his valour,
the ogress married her only adopted daughter to the
19
146 HEER/VMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
prince with great eclat and splendour. And besides
promising to be at his immediate service whenever he
stood in need of her help, the ogress gave the prince three
stone-pebbles accompanying them with the following
advice : —
‘ My son, when you approach the trees in quest of
which, I understand, you have come so far risking your
life for your father’s sake, throw the stones at them. At
that moment the serpents, the scorpions, and centipedes
with which the trees so teem that the leaves can hardly
be distinguished from the living creatures, will all come
down. You will then ascend one of the trees, and,
taking as many leaves as you wish, return.’ With tears
in his eyes the prince thanked the ogress for the stone-
pebbles and the advice and immediately started for the
place where the trees were and, as advised, threw the
stones at one of them when, wonder cf wonders! the
whole reptilian order which occupied every accessible
spot on the trees descended. Immediately the prince
took as many leaves as he wanted and returned to the
ogress and taking his wife and receiving the blessings
of his ogress mother-in-law started homewards.
On the way, as we know, lay the country of the cour-
tesan where his brothers were waiting. Taking them and
the courtesan he proceeded — of course the ogress’ adopted
daughter being with him — and ere long on the way he
came across his old long-lost faithful dog, whom he took
in his laps and tenderly caressed.
Now evil took possession of the prince’s brothers by
reason of their younger brother’s success in getting the
leaves. They thought he would rise in the estimation
of their royal father in consequence, and so resolved to
do away with him. Embracing a favourable opportunity
they killed him and placing the corpse on the ground,
POLKTALfeS PROM INt)lA 147
arranged over it cow-dung cakes in profusion and, setting
fire to it, started in advance of the others who were left
far behind.
On his master’s death the dog, long lost and found,
who was present when the tragedy took place, shed tears
and with tears fresh in its eyes, ran to where the ogress’
adopted daughter and the courtesan were. They observ-
ed the tears and, suspecting foul play, followed the dog
wherever it went. It went to a newly lighted funeral
pile, and walked round it. Upon this the unfortunate
women set up a wailing for the dog’s action made it
clear to them that the prince was killed and under the
blazing fires.
After a while the ogress’ adopted daughter, as if a
thought had suddenly struck her, collected the ashes of
her husband and, with the admixture of a little water,
made it into an image and infused life into it. Lo and
behold! the self-same prince in flesh and blood, back
from the regions of death, looking intently on his wife
and the courtesan for an explanation of the circum-
stances under which he came to lie there.
Now what of the two treacherous princes ? Having
killed their brother they started for their father’s king-
dom and in due course reached it with the medicinal
leaves which they gave out they had got. The father
was overjoyed to see them, the more so because of the
leaves which restored his sight. In consequence they
rose greatly in his favour so much that it seemed that
nothing would part them from him. But this was not to be.
For the revivified prince, by slow marches, reached
at length his father’s metropolis accompanied by his
wife and the courtesan and at once went into his mother’s
apartments where the son and the mother wept upon
each other'^s necks for a long time. Wiping his eyes the
148 HEERAMMA and VENKAtASWAMI OR
prince detailed to his mother the whole story from the
beginning ; how on the way he won a courtesan in a
game of pacheese and set at liberty a number of kings
and princes — amongst the number his two brothers
employed by the courtesan in her gajden; how he fought
successfully with an ogress, the scourge of the country
round ; how the ogress being pleased with his prowess
gave him her adopted daughter and learning his purpose
and desire gave him three pebbles ; how with the aid
of the pebbles he ascended a tree close to which lay
immense danger and plucked a few leaves for the restora-
tion of his father’s sight ; how his brothers not only
envied him but killed him ; how his faithful dog long-
lost and happily met conveyed this information to his wife
and the courtesan ; and how the wife called him back
to life though reduced to ashes.
The queen heard this and wept and wept and then
sent for her husband. She told him how her son, though
not loved by him, had couited dangers for his father’s
sake and had got the medicinal leaves ; how his other
sons to whom he did a good turn in liberating them
from abject slavery in the courtesan’s garden, not only
deprived him of the leaves but also of his life. On
hearing this, the king’s anger knew no bounds ; he at
once sent for those murderous fellows and ordered them
into exile and, calling his other son, embraced him and
addressed him thus : ‘ It was you who gave me back my
sight. Your love towards me was truly filial. In return
for this love, so spontaneously manifested, I give you my
throne.’
True to his word, he abdicated his throne in favour
of the prince. He is now reigning there surrounded by
his parents — the loving mother and the father — his life-
giver, the ogress’ adopted daughter, and the* sympathetic
FOLKTALES FROM INOlA
149
courtesa.n and we are narrating his story leaving out no
elements, tragical or otherwise.
Yesternight I went to that king and he gave me large
heartedly a present of a gold ring worth five tolas. Here
it is.
No. 79. THE FLY WHO FORGOT HER NAME
A FLY having plastered her house with cow-dung forgot
her name. Seeing a wood-cutter pass with an axe in
his hand she addressed him thus : —
0 wood-cutter, wood-cutter, what is my name ? ’
1 do not know your name. Ask the axe which is in
my hand.’
‘ O axe, axe, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the tree which
comes to be felled down by the axe.’
‘ O tree, tree, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the bird which
perches on the tree.’
‘ O bird, bird, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the water which the
bird drinks.’
‘ O water, water, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the moss which is
in the water.’
' O moss, moss, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the fish which eats
the moss.’
‘ O fish, fish, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the fisherman wh^
catches the fish.’
' O fisherman, fisherman, what is my. name ? ’
‘ I do* not know your name* Ask the fishwoman*’
15d HeEramMa and venkataswaMi or
‘ O fishwoman, fishwoman, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the cook who buys
the fish.’
‘ O cook, cook, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the maid who
prepares the dishes.’
‘ O maid, maid, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the master who eats
the dishes.’
‘ O master, master, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the mare which
I ride.’
‘ O mare, mare, what is my name ? ’
‘ I do not know your name. Ask the foal which is
in my belly.’
‘ O foal, foal, what is my name ? ’
‘ Is not your name a fly ? ’ said the foal in the
mare’s belly.
In surprise the fly put her finger on her nose and
went her way.
No. 80. THE ZAMINDAR’S DAUGHTER AND
THE WONDERFUL GIFT
Once upon a time there was a Zamindar. He was so
niggardly in hjs habits that he would eat the coarsest food
and wear the roughest clothing. Then one day he died
leaving the immense wealth he had accumulated by such
economical measures ; and when he breathed his last
the youngest daughter-in-law laughed lustily. This was
observed by the other daughters-in-law who made up
their minds to report the unbecoming conduct to their
husbands and their youngest brother-in-law whenever
an opportunity offered.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
151
It was the custom of the daughters-in-law in the
mornings to go in company to the river-bank and
fetch water. One morning while going they saw a
washerman in the last pangs of death; and when the life
departed the youngest daughter-in-law wept bitterly.
This was also observed by the other daughters-in-law
and in their return they duly reported the matter to their
husbands and their youngest brother-in-law.
The brothers and the woman’s husband demanded
the reason why she laughed lustily when her father-in-
law died and wept bitterly when the dhobi died thinking
that she must have disliked the one and loved the other.
‘ Pray do not ask me the reason,’ said the girl. ‘ I
have laughed and wept for the best of reasons — not that
I had any aversion to my father --in-law or had anything
to do with the dhobi.’
Hearing this and suspecting her character from the
very outset they took the girl to the Tahsildar’s court,
preferring a complaint of faithlessness-
The Tahsildar called the girl and ordered to say
what she has to say.
‘ O sir, I laughed,’ said the girl, ‘ because when the
soul of my father-in-law was passing away it spat on
his face, saying : " Why should I stay in you ? Have
you eaten the daintiest food or worn the gaudiest cloth-
ing ? ’”
I wept because when the dhobi died, his soul
would not leave him. It hovered about him, hovered
about the house-eaves and showed a great reluctance to
leave repeating all the time, ‘ How can I leave you ?
You have eaten the food that was pleasing to the tongue
and worn the clothing pleasing to the eyes.’
‘ However I believe this, on your own evidence,’ said
the Tahsildar.
152 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
‘ To prove my truthfulness, I prophesy,’ said the girl,
‘ What I know about you. ‘ To-night you will take your
meals, light a cigar, and before going to bed will want
to chew a piece of areca nut which, while in the act of
putting into the mouth after driving air thereupon (so
as to cause dust and little insects that may be sticking
to it to go off) will come in contact with your forehead
and you will die.’
The next morning, strange to say, the prophecy was
fulfilled to the very letter and it was noised abroad. The
girl’s story was believed and she was taken into favour
without any blame being attached to her character.
No. 81 . THE BRAHMIN, THE GOLDSMITH
AND THE IMAGE OF GOLD
There was once a Brahmin who had a gold image worth
ten lakhs of rupees. Though very poor he would not
part with the image nor miss worshipping it with
flowers and patris even for a single day.
The image was seen by a goldsmith in well-off
circumstances who invited the Brahmin to stay in his
newly constructed house, adding that it was lying vacant.
The Brahmin consented and stayed.
Now the goldsmith had an eye on the gold from the
very outset and his invitation of the Brahmin was actu-
ated more by the gold than by anything else. He now
began removing very cunningly thin layers of the
precious metal. The Brahmin thought the image felt
light at the time of worship, yet suspecting nothing called
the goldsmith and said : ‘ O goldsmith, goldsmith, I am
proving troublesome to you by my stay. Do let me go.’
‘ Oh ! no, not in the least,’ replied the goldsmith. ‘ God
gives you good things. He gives me also.’ The Brahmin
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA I5i
yielded the point and stayed, and the goldsmith, the mon
audaciously, began removing more gold.
On the next time of worship the Brahmin found out
the shabby trick of the goldsmith and at once moved off
to his humble dwelling cursing the goldsmith for his
deceit and want of respect even for God.
No. 82 . THE ADVENTURES OF RATNALPOL-
CHETTY
In a certain country there was a king. He had a son Who,
having completed his studies and attained to manhood,
spoke thus to his father one day : ‘ Father, I am very
anxious to go boosanchar in order to give a finishing
touch to my education. Will you kindly accord to me
permission to go ? ’ The king accorded permission and
the prince, taking as much money as he wanted, started
on his travels.
In due course he reached a certain country. The
night was pretty well advanced when he arrived and
seeing a -pyal — it was the pyal of the king’s palace — he
slept on it so soundly till next morning that the king,
when he came out, saw him and. spoke ‘ Who are you ?
Whence are you come ? Your appearance betrays you
to be a king’s son or prince.’
‘ I am a stranger in the country,’ said the printe
without acknowledging that he was a king’s son or
prince. ‘ I have come from a distant country. I am no
king’s son. My father is only a peasant.’ Notwith-
standing this reply the king, taking a fancy to the young
man, employed him as Palkalputti to his son who was
attending a Patshala.
Among the duties of Palkalputti, one was that of
going on small errands. One day the king’s daughter
20
154
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
gave him a note to be delivered to the minister’s son with
whom she had fallen in love. It ran as follows : —
‘ Dear Love, my father does not permit me to go
to the Patshala any more because of my having advanced
in years, and so our meetings must come to an end.
However, be ready with a charger at such and such a
temple when the gong strikes the midnight hour. I shall
be there and we will flee.’
Instead of delivering the letter, Palkalputti read the
contents and tore it up. Then running to the minister
reported falsely, that his son of late had become very
lazy in his studies. Upon which the father confined him
in a room, at the same time ordering him with threats to
go on with the lessons which he had failed to repeat to his
teacher in school. Palkalputti, in the meantime, made
himself ready and was present at the temple in the guise
of the minister’s son. Exactly at the midnight hour
the princess came bringing sufficient money and jewels
by the hand of a maid-servant.
Now began the flight. Palkalputti rode first, the
princess followed in hot haste without acquainting her-
self with her lover or exchanging a word, and it was
only the dawn of day- that disclosed to the princess the
mistake she had made. She became very sorry but the
maid who followed her mistress repeatedly said by way
of consolation : ‘ What is ordained by fate must come
to pass ’ and at the same time tried to direct the course
of her mistress’ love towards Palkalputti but the mistress
would have none of it.
Still the fugitives rode and rode and in course of
time reached a dense forest. It was summer. The day
was burning with heat. The whole of languid nature slept
save a few restless sweet warblers perched on high trees
with newly sprouted leaves, giving out theif plaintive
.FOLKTALES FROM INDIA ISS
notes. Our princess was parched with extreme thirst
and as there was no water near at hand, the maid asked
PalkalpuUi to fetch some.
Pnlkalputti started in quest of water and very soon
came upon a stream, the waters of which were red and
laved the base of a palace, which resembled a fine scene
like unto a ‘ tamasha ’ [tamashaga voondainoo Telugu
idiom] Curious to know the cause of the waters being
red, he dipped his hand into the stream and to his great
amazement found two rattans. Taking these he entered
the palace through a marble corridor and was infinitely
surprised to see in the hall a most beautiful young woman
lying at full length in a pool of blood with her head
severed from the trunk. Recollecting the magic he had
read in his books, PalkalpuUi waved one of the rattans
three times and instantly the trunk and body joined
together and the most beautiful woman on earth, sitting
up spoke in soft pleasing accents ‘ O ! brave young man
why did you come ? The rahshasa would eat you up.
Go away, please. If you rescue me at any time promise
to marry me.’
PalkalpuUi promised and soon waving the other
rattan three times and by this means seeing the head
of the fair lady sever itself from the trunk as before he
returned taking water with him. Their thirst quenched,
the princess and party started onwards and in course of
time came to a certain country.
When they arrived, there was an assemblage of
people in the king’s palace ; the king being on the
throne, and a merchant standing in the midst demanding
a fabulous high price for a fish he had with him.
Seeing it PalkalpuUi at once said :
‘ The fish is not worth the price demanded.. It
is three-folirths scales and one-fourth water.’
156 HEERAMMA ANI> VENKATASWAMI OR
‘ How do you know ? ’ asked the merchant.
‘ I know it,’ replied Palkalputti.
The merchant said unconvincingly that it was not.
Upon which the king asked the merchant to lay a wager
of his mansion, lands, and all his property. The wager
was laid. The fish was weighed and found in weight,
eJtactly three-fourths scales and one-fourth water and
Palkalputti in consequence became master of the mer-
chant’s mansion, lands and property. Into this mansion
already furnished he brought his princess but still she
would not like him, much less love him.
To be liked and loved by her he left to time, and
in the meantime Palkalputti was, in the discharge of his
duties, satisfying his master, the king of the country,
who took him into his service as one of his palace-
guards.
Now, while digging in his mansion-lands, Palkal-
putti found an emerald. Taking this he went to the
king and presented it. The king in turn gave it to his
daughter. The princess put it on her ravikay and on
the right shoulder and went to her favourite parrot and
said : ‘ O how do I look, pet ? Am I not pretty ? Do I
not look beautiful ? ’
‘ You look grand,’ replied the parrot. ‘ You are
pretty. You look beautiful. But you would be prettier
and look more beautiful, your beauty would be enhanced
a thousand times, were you to have another gem like
that and adorning the ravikay on the left shoulder.’
Whereupon the princess, became extremely sad, and
rwnning to her father, implored him to give her another
emerald like the first. The king was at a loss how to
comply with her request, but sending for Palkalputti
ordesed him to get a gem like the one he had presented.
Palkalputti was non^ussed at this strange request.. He
folktales from INDIA
15 ?
did not know where to get one. The one he gave was a
chance find. But all of a sudden, he remembered the
Rakshasa’s daughter lying in a pool of blood in her
palace adorned in great profusion with emeralds, sap-
phires, rubies, carnations, cornelians, amethysts, pearls
and corals and all kinds of valuable gems, stones and
shells that Nature produces. So he went to that palace
without losing time and joining the head and trunk
of the Rakshasa's daughter by the spell of the rattan,
asked the lovely woman for an emerald. She advised
him to go to her five sisters close by a certain tank,
where he would get it. Placing her in her original
position, he' started and reached the place where the five
sisters were- They received hini with all cordiality, en-
quired after their youngest sister, gave him the gem he re-
quired and moreover married one of their younger sisters,
fair in form and faultless in symmetry, whom they turned
into a paddy-sheaf and sent him back with greetings.
Soon after Palkalputti reached the metropolis and
gave the king the gem. The king was greatly pleased
with the young man and declared that he should be
called Ratnalpolchetty from that day.
The emerald he gave to his daughter. Pleased
with it and adorning her person with it the princess ran
to the parrot and said : ‘ How do I look ? Am I not
pretty now ? Do I not look beautiful ? ’
‘ Yes, you do,’ replied the parrot, ‘ You are a vision
of beauty. You are: a paragon of loveliness but you
have no Parifataka flower.’
Hearing this, the princess again became sad and,
running to her father, begged for a Parijataka flower, and
the. king, though feeling the impossibility of the request,
sent for Ratnalpokhet^ and; bade him get the flower.
Ratnalpolchetty was in a quandary for s time and then
158 HEERAMMA AlSfD VEMKATASWAMI OR
bethought him of his wife, and that night, turning to
human form the paddy-sheaf, consulted with his fair
partner as to where the Parijataka flower existed, and
how to come by it. She told him that the flower grew
in her youngest sister’s garden attached to the palace
and it could be had only with great peril to life. To
guard against possible perils, she initiated him in certain
mysterious incantations.
When the consultation was held between Ratnal-
polchetty and his beautiful wife, the maid-servant looked
through a crevice in the wall and, bringing her mistress,
made her also look through it and remarked :
‘ Do you see now ? Ratnalpolchetty is no other
than a prince. I have known this from the beginning
and so haVe tried to turn the course of your love towards
him from the very outset. Are you satisfied ? Now when
Ratnalpolchetty pays you a visit next time, receive him
with great cheerfulness and taking him in your arms,
pledge him to make you his chief queen.’
We have left Ratnalpolchetty in consultation with
his wife — the second wife who was in the shape of the
paddy-sheaf. The consultation over, he made straight
for the palace resplendent with gems and jewels and pick-
ing the Parijataka flower from the garden started on the
homeward course, nay was in the middle of the stream —
which divides the Rakshasa’s country from that of men
where the magic or talismanic rattans were found — when
the Rakshasa saw him and foaming at the mouth in
great anger, was upon him. Quick as thought, Ratnal-
polchetty by virtue of incantations, formed myriads of
serpents and centipedes in the waters, and when these
were taking hold of the Rakshasa’ s hands and feet, he
shot an arrow which struck him in the forehead and
forthwith killed him.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
159
Danger over and peril surmounted, thanks to the
incantations taught by his second wife, Ratnalpolchetty
came back from the stream and now entering the palace
fearlessly, joined the head and trunk of the fair form
and, in keeping with his promise, married her in accord-
ance with the rites of Gandharva marriage.
This done, he started for his royal master’s country,
of course, taking with him his wife and, in due course,
reached it. He at once gave the flower to the king.
The king was delighted and, calling his daughter, gave it
to her. She was delighted above measure with the present
and running to her parrot exclaimed, ‘ Here is your
Parijataka flower.’ The parrot now approvingly said :
‘ You must now marry the man who brought the flower.’
Hearing these words, the princess swiftly went to her
father and said imploringly ‘ Marry me to that man who
brought the flower.’ ‘ That is not so difficult a matter
as the others were,’ said the king. ‘ It is feasible.’
Indeed a pandal was erected the next day as high as the
sky and a platform of earth was set up as large as the
earth, and in it was celebrated the mariiage of the
princess with Ratnalpolchetty with great splendour and
pomp.
Staying for a considerable time with his father-in-
law he asked permission to see his ’first father-in-law.
This was granted and Ratnalpolchetty, accompanied by
his four wives, set out and duly reached the country.
But when our hero wanted to see the king, his wife — the
king’s daughter — for a long while objected to go with
him, saying ‘ How can I see him having run away from
the parental roof ? ’
‘Don’t mind that. Fall at his feet,’ replied the
husband, ‘ He will pardon you.’ She did as was advised
and was re*ceived again into favour by the kind father
160 HEERA^IMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
who, after the lapse of a few days, solemnized the wed-
ding of his run-away and wayward girl with Ratnalpol-
chetty with many a binding rite.
Staying here also for a considerable time he now
got permission of his father-in-law to go to his father
whom he longed to see and, without losing time, started
for his mother-country. In course of time, Ratnalpol-
chetty reached it, and the instant the father heard of his
arrival he came and hugging his long-absent son, whom
he thought to be lost, wept for joy, and, calling his
heaven-born daughters-in-law close to him kissed them.
Soon after he performed the marriage of his son with the
daughters-in-law with great solemnity and on a scale
that had no regard for cost or expenditure and many
were the guests, both high and low, invited, and among
them . were observed the Parentalloo, whose marriage
song for the brides and bridegroom was so marked for
harmony and melody.
The king is there. The son is there, the father
would not allow him to go abroad any more. His four
wives — the first wife who discarded the prince at first,
now raised to be the chief by cajoling or tricks which
females from Kaikeyi downwards know to perfection —
are there and we are here.
The night is far advanced. Now go and come back
(some time after).
No. 83. THE TIGER AND THE ASS
Once upon a time there was an ass. It went to a
streamlet one day to quench its thirst. There a tiger
also came and looking fiercely on the ass’s face, de-
manded : ‘ Who are you ? Who are you ? ’
* Who are you ? ’ retorted the ass by way^^of reply.
‘ I am 5 ^r,’ said the tiger.
.FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
161
‘ Well, I am sawa shr,’’ replied the ass.
‘ Ah ! You are sawa s^r,’ again said the tiger. ‘ We
shall fix a day to determine who is s^r and who is sawa
shr.' (In other words, who is greater of the two.)
The day was fixed. In the meantime the ass would
wallow in the mud so much that large layers of mud
formed themselves on its body.
The day came. The tiger began the combat by
striking the ass with one of its paws with the result that
a large lajer of mud fell off. Then it again struck the
ass and another layer came off. Thus five strokes
were administered and five layers of mud came off
successively without hurting the ass in the least.
Now came the turn of the ass. It began the combat
by going nearer the tiger and giving it a bard kick with
one of its hind legs on the face. On receiving it the
tiger was sorely afraid and immediately ran off and hid
himself in a blanket telling the shepherd, to whom the
blanket belonged, that, if sawa ser were to come there and
ask for s^r, he was to say that it had not passed that
way. A moment afterwards the ass really came and
enquired after ser and was informed as was advised,
upon which the ass exultingly returned.
The shepherd on returning home in the evening told
his people how greatly a tiger had been afraid of an ass.
This was overheard by the tiger from the back of the
house and not liking it, he resolved on avenging himself
upon the shepherd. So when he was asleep it took him
together with his charpoy and on nearing the forest
asked very roughly : ‘ Why did you tell that to the
people ? I am going to eat you up.’
‘ Ah ! you. You are going to eat me up are you ? ’
replied the bold shepherd. ‘ Well, I shall report the
matter to fawa shr who is hard by.’ Hearing this, the
21
1§2 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
tiger dropped the cot and fled precipitately into the
wilds.
No. 84. PRABHUDDEEKOO AND SASHIPRABHA
Once upon a tims there was a king reigning in a
certain country. He had a son of the name of Prabhud-
deekoo, who was highly adventurous by nature ; and
feeling the lack of adventures in his own country, the
young man left the palace one night in quest of them in
foreign lands. The father sent his messengers after him
in all directions but the prince was nowhere to be found.
In another country there was a king. He had a
daughter of the name of Sashiprabha. One day or
rather evening she was passing on her ambari elephant,
when there came a Rakshasa from the skies and dis-
persing the attendants, carried off the princess heavenward
for a while and then descended to carry her into his
cave-dwelling.
At this juncture came Prabhuddeekoo from the ether
country and, taking in at a glance the whole situation,
killed the Rakshasa and rescued the princess. Exulting
in his first successful adventure he started taking with
him the princess and in course of time came to a certain
country. Here he lodged at a Paidharaloo Peddhammah’s
or the traditional hospice-keeper’s, paying a vara a day ;
everything went well and it seemed that things would so
continue.
But it was not to be ; for the Rakshasa had a sister
who vowed that she would avenge the death of her
brother upon Sashiprabha’s deliverer and true to herself
followed by a dozen Rakshasas, all assuming h uman
shapes, she came to the place where the prince and
princess were and told the following fabricated story :
folktales from INDIA
I6i
‘ We have all come from Sashiprabha’s father, com-
missioned to bring the princess wherever she may be, as
also to bring her deliverer.’ Believing the story, Pra-
bhuddeekoo allowed Sashiprabha to mount a palanquin
and to be carried in it, and himself mounting a
caparisoned horse also started. But when the human
habitations and confines of the country were passed, the
palanquin bearers, who were no other 'than Rakshasas,
began to run with such rapidity, that the prince told them
not to be in such a hurry. They would not listen ; and
the more he told them to stop the faster their speed
became. His suspicions now aroused, Prabhuddeekoo
killed the ogress and the other Rakshasas. But the
princess was nowhere to be found ; they had hid her
already during the confusion that followed in a cave-
dwelling. This was their object. The prince’s cries
* Sashiprabha, Sashiprabha ’ were answered only by
echoes from the hills and trees of those wilds, and no
princess was forthcoming.
Disappointed in his attempts to trace where Sashi-
prabha was concealed, he started back and very soon
came upon a princess sitting near a jasper fountain,
sobbing. Taking her to be the princess he looked at
the face scrutinizingly, and finding it to be different from
that of Sashiprabha, enquired who she was, whence she
came and why she was sobbing. Whereupon she un-
folded her story. She was a princess coming from such
and such a country ; her attendants, for, reasons they
knew best, had left her in the jungle to perish. Pitying
her pathetic case, Prabhuddeekoo with a heavy heart set
out on his journey taking the princess with him.
In the meantime on the way he came across a well-
dressed young man and ascertaining that he was a
prince like himself, Prabhuddeekoo fell to talking with
164 MeeRamma And VENKATASWAMI or
him. Various were the topics discussed ; and when
there was a lull in the talk the new prince said :
‘ I have come in search of my sister’s deliverer.’
‘ Who is your sister ? ’ asked Prabhuddeekoo with
a start or in surprise.
‘ Sashiprabha ’ replied the other.
Hearing the name the prince fainted and asked
incoherently ‘ Where is she ? ’ To which question the
new young man, who now inferring without any suspi-
cion that that prince was no other than his sister’s deli-
verer, narrated to Prabhuddeekoo, now recovering from
his faint, that he, as advised by his father, wended his way
from forest to forest and at length discovered his sister
in a solitary cave shut up from the view by high hills
and thick jungle. ‘ She is at home now,’ added he, ‘ and
in good health, but ever and anon thinks of her deliverer
from the Rakshasas. Indeed it was she who sent me
here to seek you out and bring you.’
This piece of news gladdened his heart for now all
anxiety for Sashiprabha’s safety were removed. Pra-
bhuddeekoo, along with the princess found at the jasper
fountain and Sashiprabha’s brother, set out for Sashi-
prabha’s country ; where the king received his daughter’s
deliverer with every mark of kindness and, by way of
recompense, married Sashiprabha to him very soon with
universal rejoicings. The other princess also was
married to Prabhuddeekoo at the same time.
After spending a considerable time in his father-in-
law’s country, Prabhuddeekoo set out for his own country
accompanied by his two wives and followed by his
retinue and duly reached it. The king, his father,
received him with thankfulness to God and in course
of time celebrated his marriage with the two daughters-
in-law resplendent as the full moon. Further to check
FOLKTALfeS FROM iNDiA
165
the adventurous spirit of his son which had led him
away for so many months, he made him king and thus
had the responsibility of the kingdom set on his shoulders.
Though I was npt present in the installation cere-
mony I was present at the wedding and received a gold-
laced cap as bahumanam. Here you see it.
The night has far advanced. Now good-night and
come again.
No. 85. THE SEVEN PRINCES, THEIR ONLY
SISTER AND HER CRUEL SISTERS-IN-LAW
A KING had seven sons. With these brothers there was
a sister. Their royal father died soon after the birth
of the princess and the mother followed him. The
princes treated their youngest sister with kindness and
love in such a manner, that they would not allow her even
to come down from her golden cradle.
Now on one occasion these seven princes went on a
long and distant excursion and their wives — excepting
that of the seventh — in the meantime had the girl brought
down from her golden cradle and gave her the dirtiest
clf'thes to wear and made her eat clay in such quantities
that her belly became as big as that of a woman
advanced in pregnancy. Besides this they taunted her
with these words : ‘ We shall see when you serve ghi on
our platters (leaf-plates) with a ladle.’
And when their husbands returned from the hunting
expedition, the wives with the exception of the youngest
prince’s wife, who was the only person who loved the
unfortunate sister-in-law, told their husbands of the mis-
conduct of their sister, pointing to her belly as visible
evidence or proof of what they said, and the princes
believing their story to be true, had the princess sent into
a dense forest.
166 heeramMa And VenRatasWamI oR
Here the princess’ grief knew no limits : it found
vent freely and her shrill and heart-rending cries re-
sounded on all sides. A king, who was hunting hard by,
hearing it, came to where the princess was. To him she
unfolded her story — how her brothers, believing their
wives, had misgiving about her conduct and sent her
into the jungle though she had no dealings with men,
God being her only witness and yet her belly, by some
strange phenomenon, appeared like that of a woman
in the family way. The king with rapt attention and
great thoughtfulness listened to the narration ringing
with candour and truth and, believing in the princess’
innocence, took her home. The first thing he did was to
get some dried tamarinds. These he dipped ip castor
oil and gave the princess, who ate and had motions and,
surprise of surprises, the belly, which was abnormally
big, reduced to its normal level. In course of time the
king married the princess and the union was a pleasant
and happy one.
Now the seven brothers of the princess, whom we now
call a queen, lost their throne and became very poor, and
leaving their country they unknowingly came to where
their sister was, with loads of grass on their heads. One
day, when the queen was drying her long locks of hair on
the terrace of her palace, she espied them and recogniz-
ing in them her merciless brothers, had them sent for.
They came. Buying the grass from them immediately
and ascertaining this particular and that without
revealing herself that she was their sister, the queen
dismissed them saying in conclusion, ‘ You can bring
your wives when you next come.’ The seven wives came
the next time. The queen placed leaf -plates before them
and, after serving vegetable and other viands on
them, she began serving ghi with a ladle beginning from
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
167
the first brother’s wife, and when she came to the seventh
her hand agitated and refused its office and she, embrac-
ing her dearest and youngest sister-in-law, cried for a
long while. They recognized each other of course.
Upon which the other sisters-in-law who also now
recognized their persecuted relation, were covered with
confusion, shame and chagrin owing to their augury
haying becom untrue. Their husbands repented of their
folly of reposing trust in them to an undue extent with-
out seeing things for themselves.
No. 86. THE ORIGIN OF MUSHROOM
Once a daughter-in-law, in the absence of her mother-
in-law, killed a fatted hen and dressing it, put it on the
fire-place to be cooked. In the meantime the mother-in-
law came and she, being greatly afraid of her, took the
curry-pot to the back of the house and emptied the
contents in a snake-hole.
It was found on the morning that, on the snake-hole,
a mushroom grew.
This is the reason why pootta kokooloo (mushrooms)
taste like fowl or flesh.
No. 87. WHY THE MOGLI FLOWER
AND THE LIME DISCARDED IN WORSHIP
OF DEITIES
Once upon a time Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha {Adi-
moorthooloo) wanted to see Ishwara. So Brahma taking
the form of a crab, Vishnu the form of a boar and
Mahesha that of a bandicoot, they began to dig down to
the Pdtdla. Brahma pushed forward and outstripped
the other two deities and was very much tired in conse-
quence, but seeing the Mogli flower and the lime return
168 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
after due worship of the deity, told them to say to the
deities left behind, that he had seen God and turned back.
Soon after, the two deities came and asked the Mogli
flower and the lime whether Brahma had seen Ishwara.
They said ‘ Yes But the gods by second sight knew
it to be false and cursed Brahma for the lie he had
invented saying, that he should have no temples dedicated
to his worship. They also cursed the Mogli flower and
the lime saying, that they would not be used in the
worship of gods. ’
The curse stands to this day. Brahma has no temple^
and the Mogli flower and the lime are not regarded
sacred in the worship of deities.
No. 88. THE BEGGAR AND THE TACTLESS
CHARITABLE LADY
Once upon a time a beggar went to a house and asked
for victuals. The house-owner’s wife came out on the
door-stone and told him to bring a ginnai. He brought
it after getting loan of the same with difficulty from
another beggar who had it, and received the food and
ate it. The lady, however, lost the merit of charity by
coercing the beggar into doing a bit of work before she
gave charity. She could have served the food on a leaf-
plate.
No. 89. THE WOMAN, THE FOWL CURRY
AND HER HUSBAND
Once a woman had stolen a neighbour’s fowl. Killing
it and making curry of it, she told her husband to
partake of it.
' Note . — There is a temple, however — the only temple in all India-dedicated
to his memory — at Poskara, termed the Brahma Poskara, in Central India
viuted by the French Traveller, Louis Rousselet, and described by him as
a beautiful piece of architecture.
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
169
‘ I shall be no abettor in this sinful transaction.
I shall not eat the curry ’ said he.
When the meal was served, his wife brought him the
curry. ‘ 1 won’t have it, I won’t have it,’ roared he.
‘ Do take some of the gravy, some of the gravy
at least,’ said his wife in a wheedling tone. He consented
and she began to pour some from a ladle. On the ladle
there came a large piece of flesh, on seeing which the man
said :
‘ I do not want that piece of flesh — that piece of
flesh, don’t put it, I say, don’t put it.’
‘ I do not put it but it wants to be put, what to do ? ’
said his wife.
No. 90. THE MAN AND THE NEIGHBOUR’S
FOWL
There was a certain man. He stole a neighbour’s
fowl, and, making curry of it, .ate it.
With a view to find out the thief, the owner when he
saw his neighbours (assembled) together, said :
‘ If he ate the fowl it is alright, but why should he
have the grease sticking about him ? ’
Being pricked, the thief began to feel about his
beard and the man caught him. But the fellow made
amends and the matter was amicably settled.
No. 91. THE STORY OF THE LAME MAN
AND THE BLIND MAN
There was a lame man and a blind man. On one
occasion the river overflowed its banks and began flood-
ing the country, so that all the inhabitants ran up a hill
pell-mell to save their lives, leaving the beggars behind.
22
170 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
Now life is dear .to all. The beggars took counsel
together and hit upon a plan. The blind man took
upon his back the lame man and ran, • the lame man
guiding him from above- The result was that they
arrived at their destination before many of the inhabi-
tants did. Thus the poor beggars saved their lives by
their ingenuity.
No. 92. THE OLD WOMAN AND THE FOP
An old woman with her slow gait was going to town.
A foppish young man riding a horse overtook her on
the way and enquired :
‘ Where are you going, grandma ? ’
‘ To town, grandson.’
‘ When will you reach the town, you walk so
slowly, ? ’
‘ I shall, if God wills, in the evening.’
The fop, after talking with this man and that man
on the way, and adjusting his laced turban on the head
and his clothes about him several times, at length reached
the town ; and at the same time this old woman reached
the place. Seeing her he was very much abashed but
the old woman could not help remarking :
‘ The time you took with your horse, O young
man, to reach the town, I have taken also with my
feeble legs.’
No. 93. THE FAMILY AND THE
LEUCODERMA
Once upon a time leucoderma attacked a certain family,
attacking one after another and in course of time extermi-
nated all the members of that large family with a single
exception. This was a girl given away in marriage to
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
171
another family and living in her mother-in-law’s house
in the distant land separated by a river. This girl the
disease now thought of making a victim and with that
end in view, got inside a cucumber and started on its
course.
When it was travelling on the waters with great
rapidity a man observed it and, greatly wondering, asked
‘ O cucumber, cucumber, where are you bound for at
such a rate of speed, and what for ? ’
‘ To such and such a place in order to attack the sole
surviving member of a family which I annihilated.’
The man heard this with greater wonder than ever
and, being of a philosophic bent of mind, went to the
girl’s place before the cucumber and told the house to
put away the first and the second morsels of food that
evening under a basket. This was done.
Next morning it was found that in the food were
teeming innumerable insects, veritable germs of the
disease.
«
Such is leucoderma, the horrible disease : it blinds
the eye and makes the skin assume the colour of a
morbid white and makes its appearance in families for
generations.
No. 94. THE MONKEY, THE GOAT AND
THE WORKMAN
A MONKEY having done for a workman’s rice and
dhall in his absence, with a view to escape detection,
applied some of the former to an innocent goat grazing
hard by. In due course the poor workman returned
from his duty at midday and to his great chagrin
found his. meal gone. Seeing the goat with parched
rice sticking about its beard, he took it to be ^e thief and
\ 1 l heeramMa and venkataswaMi or
thrashed the animal mercilessly, the tricky monkey
escaping however.
No. 95. THE KING AND THE RESOURCEFUL
CHASTE WOMAN
There was once a sensuous king, who desperately
fell in love with a certain man’s wife. The man was in
a dire fix as to how to escape from the infamy that
would, for generations, rest on his family, because of the
king whose word was law. The wife, however, was a
resourceful woman. Before the appointed hour of the
royal visit she put on her gay clothes and fashionable
trinkets, taking care, however, to eat a large quantity of
dried gram ; so that when the king came and talked
with the woman for a few minutes, a bad smell emanated
with her breath and the result was that the king went
back as he came. Thus the desire of a woman to
remain chaste succeeded by a simple stratagem.
«
No. 96. THE KING, THE QUEEN AND THE
EVIL HOUR
A KING had in his palace a married sister of his who
gave birth to a girl. When the royal astrologers were
consulted as to the fortune of the new-born infant, they
said that it was born under an unlucky star and on the
thalambraloo ceremony, would run away with a shoe-
maker. The king was thunderstruck and planning to
prevent, if possible, the good name of his illustrious
family from being tarnished, married the girl himself
when she came of age.
In due course, by the marriage, he had a daughter
and two sons. The daughter attained to womanhood
and proposals for her wedding were a-foot, in fact, it was
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
173
being celebrated ; but when the hour arrived, when the
shoe-maker should bring a pair of shoes in accordance
with the traditional custom, the king, always mindful of
the astrologers’ prophecy (he had shut out the shoe-maker
from the palace precincts in consequence from the very
outset), disguised himself as a shoe-maker and himself
brought the shoes for the bride and bridegroom. His
wife taking him for a real shoe-maker and, true to the
prophecy, whispered in his ear, ‘ O let us run away, O let
us run away He consented and ran away with her
there and then. The next morning, after they had
covered a good deal of ground in travelling, the woman
said : ‘ Why delay, let us advance.’ The king asked
‘ Where ? ’ and then the queen with dismay recognized
her husband’s voice. Thus passed the evil hour pre-
dicted.
No. 97. THE PRINCESS, HER HUSBAND
AND THEIR DEAD CHILDREN
There was once a king. He had a favourite daughter
whd, taking her father’s unwilling permission, issued a
proclamation that she would marry that man only who
would do her bidding under the most trying circum-
stances.
No one asked her in marriage for a lojig time and it
seemed, as if the princess would have to lead a life of
single blessedness. One morning, however, a young
man came to the court and expressed his willingness to
become the husband of the princess unmindful of the
condition. The anxious father, who saw his daughter’s
youthful bloom fading away, embraced the opportunity
and at once celebrated the princess’s marriage before any
change should come over his weird girl.
174 heeramMa and venkataswami or
The bride and bridegroom were happy in each other’s
company and many days passed without the former
asking the latter to do things in any way trying.
But in due course the princess gave birth to a son
who only lived for three days. On his death the wife
ordered her husband to dig a grave and bury the child.
It was a painful task to the father but he had to
do it. True to the proverb, goonta pilla yenta kadupu,
the princess again was in the family way and in due
time was delivered of a son who lived for a month and
then died. Again the princess ordered the young man
to carry out the child, dig a grave and bury it. The
father had to do it. Again, the princess gave birth to a
son who had lived for five months and then died. For
the third time the father was ordered to perform the
painful duty of digging a grave and burying the child
himself. Some time after the princess again brought
forth a son. This one lived for a year and then died,
and the father had again the unpleasant task much
against his will of digging a grave and burying the child
himself.
On the fifth day ceremony of the last child, the
princess ordered her husband to pass the night at the
tombs and give particulars of what he saw and heard.
He did so and at midnight he heard his last child from
the grave speak to the first.
‘ O how long did you live ? ’
‘ For five days. I was indebted but a little to my
father and mother. Till that debt was settled I stayed
with them and then came away.
Then the second broke in and said, ‘ I owe my parents
a bigger debt. So I stayed with them three months and
then came away.’
Now the third spoke ‘ My debt was bigger than the
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
175
debt of both of you, so you see I stopped with my
parents for one year and then came away.’
‘ But my debt was the biggest of all,’ said the last. ‘ I
had to remain for one year and then came away. Here
now I lie with you.’
The next morning the Princess heard the strange
revelation, and thanking her husband for doing her
bidding under trying conditions, sent him away with pre-
sents. Thenceforth she had nothing to do with the world
but retired from it altogether.
No. 98. THE GURU AND THE SIMPLE-
MINDED NEATHERD
Once a Guru was passing in his palanquin by a forest
when a simple-minded neatherd, seeing him pass, ran
as fast as his legs could carry him and begged as a boon
that he should not be required to work— ostensibly for his
daily bread. ‘ The boon is granted,’ said the Guru in
derison. ‘ You will just stand .where you are with your
hands up and you will not be required to work.’ Taking
this in earnest, the simpleton stood with his hands up
and his attention rivetted on the sky in contemplation.
The rains came and fell in showers over him, the storms
came and swept by him ; still he stood there. Thus
twelve years passed and the Guru came again on his
circuit and, passing by the self-same or very forest,
caught sight of the neatherd and was wondering within
himself whether he was not the same man whom he had
told to stand since he asked to be relieved from work ;
when lo ! the neatherd began to ascend to heaven —
chanting a strain as he went ‘ I see Kothandapani. I
see Ishwara.’ Without a second thought the Guru
caught hold of his feet and so went up to heaven with
him.
176
HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
No. 99. THE STORY OF THE PISHOO AND
THE BUG
There was once a pishoo. For a long time it thought
of tasting the king’s blood, but no opportunity seemed
to afford itself ; so it cultivated friendship with a bug to
whom it spoke out its mind one day.
‘ O bug dear, O bug dear, I am anxious to know what
king’s blood is like. Will you permit me to go in your
company ? ’
‘ Oh no, no,’ said the bug. ‘ You are a hasty
creature, I might be killed in your company who knows.’
However after much importunity the pishoo got per-
mission and hid itself under the fourth coverlet, the bug
occupying the one next it. In the night the king sat on
his bed and had hardly gone to sleep when the pishoo
began to suck his blood ravenously. The king immedi-
ately raised an alarm ‘ O I am bitten, I am bitten,’ and
the attendants running in made a thorough search
and found a bug and a pishoo in the bed. These they
instantly despatched.
No. 100. THE GURU, HIS DISCIPLE, THE
JUGGLING-WOMAN AND THE CHOLA KING
AND QUEEN
There was once a Guru of the Ramanuja sect — in fact
the song Hari Hart Ramanuja of the Sathanees of
which this folklore makes the celebrated reformer and
founder of the sect to play the role or become the subject
of the song after the invocation of Hari (God). A firm
believer in that faith {^Ramanuja Matham) was a disciple,
rather a servant of Hari (God), attached to the guru ;
who, renouncing the world, gave himself up to the guru
FOLKTALES FROM INDIA
177
living with him in great openness and submissiveness
ministering to his wants, doing whatever he wished
and travelling with him in all countries with the sole
object of learning the chief manthram and the way of
obtaining absolution or mukhti.
Now once in the forest the guru felt thirsty and said
to his disciple : ‘ I feel so thirsty that I am likely to
die for very thirst. Get some water.’ The disciple was
in a fix as to where to get water in those places of
hermits where look where you will you will see forest,
forest and nothing else, but looking up he saw a flight
of birds whom he thus addressed ; —
‘ O birds, who are flying, tell me the place where
water is.’
‘ O sir, come with us without losing your way.
We shall show you the place of water,’ said the
birds.
He went and brought water, but in the meantime the
guru had died — writing however the manthram for his
disciple on the ground with his ebbing s.trength. Just
when the guru died there had passed a wandering band of
jugglers. Amongst them was a juggling-woman who.
seeing writing on the ground, took out her ear-leaf from
the bored eav-hole and transcribing it rubbed it out from
the ground.
The disciple when he came taking the guru to be
asleep said : ‘ O sir, take some water. I have brought
it. Do take some, after which you can protect me.
Moreover, O sleeping Samoodoo it is not decorous that in
our way here we should sleep.’ But the guru did not
get up, much less pay heed to the entreaty, so once more
the disciple besought him, ‘ O what ! Are you angry
with me for delay. Do take some, after which you can
find fault with the Haridass (referring to himself as the
23
178 HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
servant of Hari).’ Even then the gu'>'u did not get up ;
so putting his hand on his breast and taking the cloth
off his face, the disciple gently shook him so as to arouse
him ; but it was of no avail — the guru was dead. And
now at last the fact dawned upon him.
Shaking off his grief, the disciple, after composing his
mind, cremated the sadhu and duly performed the last
rites over him ; then seeing some vestiges of undeciphera-
ble writing on the ground, he wondered saying pensively to
himself : ‘ The guru may have written the manthram, but
it is difficult to trace and I had never asked it separated
as I was from the guru ’ (on an errand when he was
passing away). As he thus pondered his attention
was attracted to a number of large broad foot-prints
like those of women all over the ground. Seeing
a shepherd tending his flocks near, the disciple said to
him : ‘ O young shepherd, will you kindly inform me how
many women have passed by this way.’ The boy replied
‘ Hear, O Haridass, that by this way passed a strolling
company of jugglers. Of that company, a woman-juggler
took down the writing on the ground (yonder) on her ear-
leaf and, after blotting out the writing on the ground,
stealthily moved on.’
Whereupon the disciple with great anguish of heart
exclaimed : ‘ O to think that the holy manthram should
be published in the streets by a dancing-girl, should be
disseminated throughout the world by a ballet-dancer ’ ;
and at once started in search of the woman- juggler
following in the tracks of the juggler-party and, reaching
the city of Chola king, made a thorough search in the
grass-built huts there and finding her in one of them
addressed thus : ‘ O mother, do protect me. O dancing-
mother, do take me into your service. I shall do what-
ever work you bid me do.’
folktales from INDIA
17SI
To which the juggling-woman hard-heartedly re-
plied : ‘ What is the use of your work to us, sir ? We
have many servants already and there is no vacancy.’
Whereupon the disciple burst into tears saying : ‘ It is
not fair to treat harshly the refugee and one who is
bewildered in his mind.’ The dancer, now a little
softened, replied : ‘ Be calm, sir, do not weep,’ adding
mysteriously, ‘ you are certainly a gem, fit person to keep
the holy manthram, only the mind is not willing (to part
with the treasure).’ Thus saying she engaged him to
look after asses.
Now in the city — wonder of wonders I all the
twenty-four bells in the temples had sounded the smva
ganta or victory bell and had begun to ring together of
their own accord when the young sadhu set foot on the
soil of the Chola kingdom. The king surprised at this,
came to his wife and said : ‘ O Rajendri, my spoiled
darling. Who are tolling the bells ? What is this
wonder ? Let us go to the servants’ hall and enquire.’
But the servants could give no information, so some of
them were despatched to ascertain the cause and they
brought the news that the bells had begun to ring of
themselves simultaneously from such and such an hour.
Now the wife of the Chola king was a great
pativirata, so she attributed this to the arrival of some
mahatma or great soul ; so with the consent of her
husband she issued a proclamation that every one in
the kingdom, man, woman, child and new-born babe,
without any exception, should be present at the state
banquet to be given in the evening. Her object in issu-
ing this was to find out the holy man. In obedience to
the order all came and the queen enquired whether every
one was present. ‘ Yes, your majesty,’ said the minister ;
' all have *come but one — a new servant employed by the
ISO HEERAMMA AND VENKATASWAMI OR
recently arrived strolling company of jugglers who is
tending asses some miles away from the city. ‘ He is
the Mahatma ’ said the queen by second sight. ‘ I shall
go and fetch him.’ Thus saying she got ready a palan-
quin green unto auspiciousness and set out for the out-
skirts of the city and seeing the ass-boy embraced him
tenderly and said: ‘ My father, do come. You are missed.
I have come specially for you. You shall have whatever
you want.’
‘ I am an ordinary ass-boy mother. Why are you
so solicitous for me ? I do not want anything. What
is this greenish palanquin for an ass-boy P ’
Scarcely had he alighted from the palanquin in
the city than all the bells in the temples began to send
forth peel after peel of triumphal music.
At this moment the strolling company of jugglers,
pursuant to a previous engagement, were performing feats
of legerdemain, the chief dancer, in virtue of the esoteric
manthram, was suspended between heaven and earth
to the great astonishment and wonder of the assembled
people. Seeing her, the disciple ran to the queen and
said that he had a very humble request to make.
‘ What is it my father ? ’ said the queen.
‘ Only I wish for the ear-leaf of the dancer, mother,
replied the sadhu.
His request was granted and, hardly had he read
with deep religious fervour the holy writing on the palm-
leaf, than he began his ascent to heaven. Taking hold
of him the virtuous queen began to go also, the king
followed suit taking hold of the folds of his wife’s
drapery and the juggling-woman also taking in the
situation at a glance caught hold of the king’s feet and
was also translated to heaven to be absorbed in the Great
Soul*
Folktales from iHDia
l8l
No. 101. THE MAN AND HIS VERY UNKIND
WIFE
Once upon a time a man complained to his neighbour
that his wife does not give him a bath over the head even
once a week.
The other man hearing it said : ‘ Sirrah ! You
complain that you don’t get a bath even once a week, but
my wife gives me a bath only once a year at the tinfle of
Dewali festival. Isn’t that exemplary ? ’
These stories are now concluded and as they are
named, as elsewhere explained, after my departed con-
sort and myself, I do not see the propriety of dedicating
them in this collective form to any one outside of the
family circle and the dedicatory sheet appearing at the
beginning of the book. Hence the work is dedicated to
a relation of mine — the only surviving son of a favourite
sister of mine, and the usual order of dedication is
reversed, following the precedent set by the author of
‘ Waverley ’ and the dedicatory sheet attached at the end.
DEDICATED
IN ALL LOVE
TO
MY NEPHEW
P. M. VENKATASWAMI, Esq.
ACTING HEAD OF THE SUE PANCH (‘ MAHANADU ’)
AND
DEPUTY AUDITOR, OFFICE OF THE
DEPUTY ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL OF POSTS AND
TELEGRAPHS, NAGPORE, C. P.
NOTES
No. 1. THE THOUSAND-EYED MOTHER
General Note
When any one says that small-pox is contagious to a high degree
and that such and such persons — adults and children — would not
have died had they not touched or come in contact with their
small-pox stricken relatives, the old people at once narrate the above
story. The moral being that, if we are to be attacked by small-pox,
we must be attacked, no matter how or where, and if destined to
die by it, or from its effects, we cannot escape, as we are under
the observation of the Thousand-eyed Mother.
No. 4. THE ABLE MINISTER AND THE
UNGRATEFUL KING
Rung is the vernacular expression for the ‘ boisterous dances ’
of the text (page 11, line 16). It refers to the red colour used at
the Holi, which is also called Wassant Panchami. To give rung,
then means to give a boisterous feast, one at which the colour
used at Holi is u.sed. To give a nautch or dance implies a much
more decorous entertainment than the other.
No. 7. LALAN, PRINCESS OF RUBIES
Sadabarth means a free distribution of rice, dhall and ghi,
and also the place where it is doled out. There are many institu-
tions of this sort called choultries in the Madras Presidency.
(Page 26.)
Manus goon, manus goon is the vernacular expression for
‘ I smell a man, I smell a man ’ in the text (page 28, line 18) similar
to what we have in an expanded form in the Bengali folktales
Woung, moung, khoung
Monisshee gondo paung
Dhoreh, dhoreh khaung
[meaning. Hurrah ! we scent human flesh and we will eat it].
Bradley- Birt’s ‘ Fairy Tales of Bengal *,
184
NOTES
No. 8. JAMBHU RAJA
It is said that when a person casts his eye on a thing and
asks it, we should part with it at once or it will be lost or injury
will be done to the same. (Evil Eye. — Editor, Indian Antiquary,)
(Page 31, line 14.)
Because of relationship in the previous birth Hindus are
firm believers in the law of metempsychosis. (Page 31, line 17.)
It is said that there are fires under the sea. Vadavanala, a
mythological person, is in charge of them. (Page 33, line 18.)
No. 11. KUTHUVELUKU AND POONGAVELUKU
{a) Kunkuma. — A powdered substance, vermilion in colour,
applied in the form of a circle to the forehead by Hindu women ;
harnailu — small caskets to hold kunkuma, often made of wood.
(Page 41.)
(h) Punyastrees. — Lit. meritorious ladies, or those ladies whose
husbands are alive as distinguished from widows. They are
allowed to wear the kunkuma mark on the forehead and to apply
turmeric-paste to their face, hands and feet. (Page 41.)
(c) Mdldkara, — Lit. maker of malas or wreaths of flowers,
usually called a malt (gardener). (Page 41.)
(jd) Gujras. — Small garlands of flowers for the hands ; turas —
small garlands of flowers for the head, rather for the head-dress.
(Page 41.)
(e) Shaving of the head, lopping of the ears, and cutting of the
noses of women and parading them in streets after making them
sit on donkeys with their faces pointing to the tail of the animal
were old punishments inflicted on women for their misconduct or
infidelity to their husbands or other heinous offences.- (Page 42,
line 27.)
(/) Kasyapa Muni. — The Saint Kasyapa, one of the Saptha-
rishis (The Great Bear) who first settled at Kashmir. (Page 43.)
(g) Yamulgiri Parvatam. — The famous Himalaya mountain,
the highest mountain in the world. Mount Everest, Chomo Lungmo
[‘Goddess Mother of the Country’] 29,002 feet. Height ascended
by Major Bruce and Captain Finch, 27,300 feet. (Page 43.)
{h) Konguvaisindtnu [Telugu] — meaning laid the hem or that
portion of the sari (Bengali achal) which gracefully cames over
the head on the ground with a view to secure. (Page 44, line 22.)
NOTES
185
No. 16. THE PRINCESS AND THE PONNA
FLOWERS
{a) Tiger-king or Pidi-raja (in the original) though ambiguous
is evidently meant for Chirtha puli, for it is that beast, viz. panther
or leopard', that killed the heroine of the story. The ambiguity
arises from the fact that the Telugus apply the same term both for
tiger and panther or leopard. When we say Puli vochhinadhi
(tiger came) we do not know whether a pedda puli (Bengal tiger)
or a Chirtha puli (leopard or panther) is meant. (Page 53.)
(6) Jangamaya or Jangatna . — A Lingayath or Shivite beggar of
the Jangama sect who always wears the emblem of phallic linga
and rudraksha mdld (a garland of holy seeds, oleocarpus ganitas)
on his neck and has the wide-mouthed Jholay. (Page 53.)
(c) Jholay or bag hung to the shoulder. In it is kept the vihudi
(ashes) and in which the alms given in kind, such as rice, Indian
millet, are received. (Page 53.)
Basava is the Guru of the Jangamas as narrated in the
Vishnu Purana.
No. 17. THE KING, THE STATE ELEPHANT AND
THE CHASTE LAUNDRESS
(a) Astrologer . — In former times in native courts it was the
astrologers that the kings turned to for advice on every con-
ceivable subject — important or trivial, superstitious or otherwise.
In fact, the astrologers were the prime ministers. This is not
the case at the present day and it is a good sign of the times.
(Page 54.)
(&) Pativirata is one who vowed to take one husband ; in other
words, her love is centred on one no matter whether he proves good
or bad in the long run. (Page 54.)
(c) Arti . — Lamps on a tray waved over a god, goddess, king,
bridegroom, or bride for a certain number of times. The epithala*
mium begins with drtigo mangaldrtigo (here goes the arti^ goes the
good arti). (Page 54.)
{d) Rice-oath— In Telugu marriages the bride has to take
an oath on ace that she will not desert her husband till she dies ;
in the same manner the bridegroom pledges himself. (Page 54.)
24
NOTES
186
(e) Raja, — Amongst Telugus, Raja or Raju is a term for Maha-
raja or great king, e.g. Voka raju voonday, meaning there was
a king, i.e. a great king or Maharaja. (Page 54.)
(/) Arch Rascal in the original. Areh is used in a contemptuous
sense by an oriental king having before his mind’s eye the humble
position of the man he addresses. In every-day slang areh {ekkada
ra pothavoo) expresses oh ! or exclamation of surprise. (Page 54.)
(g) Ghat is the place with the boulders here and there
where the dhohies go to do their washing. It is usually near a
flowing rivulet or running brook or in some cases close to a river.
(Page 55.)
(h) Oh aiya^ aiya. — Oh brother, brother. Aiya is a term in a
special sense used for one’s father by the rustic children of a poor
or illiterate individual of a village, e.g. Ma aiya rcllaidhu^ meaning
. our father did not come*, while the children of a prosperous or
polished man of a city term their father nctyana^ e.g. Ma ndyana
ralaidhu, giving the same sense ‘ Our father did not come It is
used in a general sense by the males and females for a man well-
stricken in years. O aiya ekkada vellooiconnavu^ O father (not
the real father) where are you going ? and it is used in a special
sense to a middle-aged, man, and to a young man as in the present
case. O aiya^ aiya, when it means a brother, an uterine brother.
Some say aiya is a corruption for arya, I leave this point for
philologists to decide as it is not within my province. (Page 55.)
(^■) Amma or Umma is a term for mother in a special sense ; it
is used in a general sense for sister — no uterine sister — or elderly
woman, as in this case, a woman well-stricken in years is also
called a mother. Will philologists also decide whether umma is
derived from Uma, the wife of Shiva? Umma is a term added
after the name of every married woman amongst the Telugus,
e.g. Tulsi-umma, Heera-umma, Chinna-umma. (Page 55.)
(/') Ritamhar is a valuable sari with gold lace or embroidery,
greater portion of which is displayed on the hem or kongoo (achal,
Bengali) that comes gracefully over the head of the wearer.
(Page 55.)
(fe) Dhoban or Bharetan is the wife of a dhobi or Bhareta or
washerman. Bhareta was the first washerman in the service of
Rama of Valmiki’s epic (probably the first, bearing that name
which now become general to apply to every washerijian) and
assuredly not the wife-beating rascal in that fraternity whg was
Notes
the cause of Seetadevi or Seetainmoroo (Dravidian for goddess
Seeta) being exiled soon after her rescue from Lanka. (Page 55.)
(Z) Hindu females do not take their meals in advance or before
their husbands take theirs ; if they do, it is regarded as a sort of
breach and the transgressors are looked down upon by the elderly
women. (Page 56, line 3.)
No. 18. THE SIMPLETON, THE THIEVES AND .
THE CLEVER MOTHER
{a) Rattling pair of shoes in the original. Rattling is caused
by placing a piece of broken cocoanut in the making of the shoe.
This is done by a shoemaker at one’s request at the time of making
of the shoes. An Indian fop always likes kirku cheppooloo
(Telugu), meaning a rattling pair of shoes. (Page 56, para. 2)
(6) Dhobi's boulder . — A large piece of stone in a river-bank
or on the margin of a rivulet or nullah over which the washerman
strikes the doffed off clothes mercilessly : this being a part of clean-
ing process from time immemorial : a process to be deprecated, but
in the absence of a steam laundry it must continue. (Page 57.)
No. 19. THE TWO FRIENDS
{a) Biting of nose by a jealous husband is a common crime in
India. Of all the Indian ornaments the nose- ring looks graceful on
the Indian woman’s face which Crawford takes note of. Now
picture to yourself the sorrow and chagrin of a woman who loses her
nose or the chief beauty of her life. At the present day she would
have been provided with an ala in substitution for the nose bit off
were she to apply to Dr. Hendley of Jaipur without sending even
the excised nasal organ. In fact, there would have been no dramatic
irony as was disclosed in the story nor the present folktale with
that incident taken shape. (Page 60, line 4.)
(6) Kali, Durga, Bhadrakali, Bhavani and MahctkCtl are the
names of the goddess Kali. There is a famous temple of Mahakal
or the Great Time at Avantinagari (the present Oojein). It was in
existence when Panchatantra was composed in the 6th century, for
there are references to it in that old Sanskrit work of Vishnu-
sharma. (Page 60.)
No. 20. THE SAGE AND THE WOULD-BE MOTHER
In India girls attain puberty at twelve nay at eleven years
of age and become mothers very early j in some cases when they
Notes
are barely twelve years old. We have justly called our heroine
a girl, not woman : in fact, she was not more than that though she
was to become a mother. This state of things only reveals what
is responsible for the bad physique of the Indian races — early
marriages, of course, which reformers should take note. (Page 62,
line 25.)
(a) ‘ Consider the lilies of the field, they toil not, they spin not, yet
‘ Solomon in all his days of glory was not arrayed like one of these.
^ Take no thought for the morrow what ye should eat or drink or
* wherewith ye should be clothed for your heavenly Father provides
" these * — occur in Bible with reference to trust on God by man.
(Page 63, line 12.)
No. 21. THE LEARNED LINGUIST
General Note
The acquisition of Telugu, one of the sweetest languages of
India (it is called the ‘ Italian of the East ’)i abounding in numerous
words of Sanskritic origin, is not so difficult as this folktale incul-
cates. In connection with the Telugu language the name of the
late Mr. C. P. Brown, Collector of Masulipatam, must endure so
long as the language endures for his magnum opus — the Dictionary
English-Telugu and Telugu-English.
No. 22. THE FOOLISH MENDICANT AND THE
SENSIBLE LADY
(а) Alms in India are given mostly in kind or grain and very
little in money. (Page 64, line 10.)
(б) Luddoos . — An Indian sweetmeat, circular balls of sugar
with other ingredients therewith. It is palatable to the taste.
In India sweetmeats are not made for children only, but they
are made for grown-up people also. (Page 64.)
(c) Annum parabrahmum , — Food is the chief god — a Telugu
saying. (Page 64.)
{d) Tying of the knot is the tying of the tali by which the
marriage treaty becomes ratified. (Page 65, line 26.)
No. 24. THE SHAKESPEARE OF INDIA
So long as the Sanskrit language endures the works of^the poet
live and it is his immortal masterpiece ' Sakuntala ’ that
Notes
l89
throws a veil over the character of the predominant jewel of the
Court of Bhoj of Oojein in the manner that the famous work ‘ Wars
of the Catiline ’ covers the wickedness of the Latin historian (poet ?)
Sallust. In either case the blemishes marred not the beauty of
intellect of the oriental and occidental geniuses shadowed forth in
their respective works which must endure all Kalpas,
No. 25. THE IMBECILE AND THE RATS
Be it understood that our imbecile was not dealing with the
question of extermination of pests like the Australian pest of
rodents but an ordinary one.
No. 26. THE ROBBER, THE DESTINY-WRITER
AND THE KING
{a) Sutvi is the appellation for the woman who, the Durjis
(tailors) say,* writes the decrees of fate on the forehead of new-
born babes. (Page 70.)
(6) It is said that grahas (constellations) are all powerful till
persons attain to the age of twelve years when they lose their force
and no more h&lagrahas and Suthka propitiations in consequence
are dreamt of by the anxious father on the uneasiness of the child
becoming apparent. That there is truth in balagrahCls is open to
doubt or question ; it is however certain that the mortality amongst
infants is greater than the mortality among adults which seems to
point out that children are really exempted from the evil effects of
the constellation soon after they attain to the age of thirteen years
which is the turning-point in their life to become adults without any
further trouble or anxiety to parents. (Page 71, line 1.)
(c) In India wells have regular accommodation below for
persons to stay. Dada Hari's well in Ahmedabad is an instance of
the kind on a grand and magnificent scale. Chorhoodi. — The
Robbers* well is another in the Seoni district of the Central
Provinces. (Page 70, line 34.)
No. 27. THE TRUE RECLUSE
Taking the name of God (in vain) is a breach of the Christian
Dasasila (Ten Commandments), but it is not so amongst the
Hindus. They take the name of God (Shiva, Shiva, Shiva,
Haribolj Plaribol) while eating, drinking or sleeping in every
emergency and on every conceivable occasion* (Page 72) line 20t)
190
NOTES
That the pangs of hunger are not felt by having had recoutse
to this expedient (Page 73, lines 14-15) which is far-fetched may be
questioned, but the other expedient practised {on dit) by the
ill-treated daughter-in-law and the poor in general by tightening
the waist for taking less food or no food (for some days) may be
possible.
No. 31. THE BHAGATMAYA SADHU
{a) ' Thou shalt not take the name of God (in vain) ’ is a
Christian Commandment, but when the Hindus take the name
of god or gods they do so with respect not with levity and this
may be termed listless respect. (Page 76, line 13.)
(6) Bangaripittaloo . — Golden birds. Grosbeaks, perhaps, are
meant. Their intelligence is to be admired in the compartments
in the nests they make or build separately for the male members,
the female members, and the young ones. (Page 77.)
(c) Made him repeat three times so as to bind him in order
that he may not swerve from his promise. (Page 77, line 12.)
{d) Nitishastra . — A Work oh Ethics in the Telugu language.
It is in the form of ‘ Anthology (Page 77.)
(e) Characteristics of a coronation ceremony of a king selected
from the people when the royal line becomes extinct. (Page 78,
lines 1-5.)
(/) Cheepurloo — brooms; and Chataloo — wicker-work contriv-
ances utilized by the Telugu females in driving away bran from
the rice (raw) and picking out gravel stones. (Page 79.)
(^?) Jalam — water. The first thing given to a guest before
he sits down to meals, rather when the guest steps in the court-
yard of a house. (Page 79.)
No. 32. THE HUSBAND AND HIS SELFISH WIFE
{a) Gunjee and kudgu . — Gravel and water of washed rice.
(Page 80.)
(6) Chinthabarikay . — A branch of a tamarind tree with which
strokes are administered. (Page 81, line 13 )
No. 33. THE MOTHER-IN-LAW AND THE
SON-IN-LAW
General Note
This is a story of the atta-alludu (mother-in-law-^son-in-law)
kathalu (stories). The series of such stories is a pretty good one
NOTES
191
and each of the story is of a laughable nature. Amongst the
Hindus or in Hindu families, the mother-in-law is looked down upon
as a person to be made fun of at every conceivable opportunity,
hence her appearance before her son-in-law with a closed or veiled
face just like a i>ardanashin lady. But some mothers-in-law
do not mind this for they say in naked truth that the relation they
stand to their sons- in-law is like that of a mother and the relation
which their sons-in-law stand to them is like that of a son, as the
two English words mother-in-law and son-in-law appropriately
mean.
{a) Passimu, — Rice cooked with milk to which, after prepara-
tion, a little jaggery or sugar is added. (Page 81, para. 4.)
No. 34. THE PRINCE, HIS WIFE AND THE
FAIRIES
{a) Rumbha and Urwasi are dancers in the court of Indra.
They are famed for their beauty. (Page 83.)
(6) Saraswati. — Goddess or Patroness of Learning. iPage 83.)
(c) Jet-black hair is considered to be a beauty by the Hindus
as the Europeans consider of auburn hair amongst themselves.
(Page 83, lines 19-20.)
{d) Brahma- — The writer of destinies. In folklore the position
is assigned to others also such as Vishwakarma, Vidatapurusha,
Sutwi, and so on. (Page 83, line 34.)
(e) J erubattalu. — Laced clothes for the head and other parts of
the body. Lace, thin or thick, is greatly used for cloths worn by
Hindus. (Page 84.)
if) Katika. — Collyrium — which is here quite different from the
other, by applying which to the eye, it is said, you will discern the
wealth hidden in the matrix of the earth. (Page 85.)
(g) Kunyakaloo, Kunnailoo also. — There might not be very
great difference between the two, if there is then those who are in
the celestial abodes are Deva Kunyaloo — celestial daughters, and
those who frequent waters are Kunnaikaloo (nymphs). But when
the former descend on this earth to bathe in its tanks, are they not
joined by the latter ? The latter also might go to the celestial abodes
with the former. There is a superstition that Kunnaikaloo select
from huqian'beings beautiful virgins or newly-married women of
great personal attraction to keep company with them, I remember
192
NOTES
my wife, who is now no more, telling me of her having seen five
water nymphs of unheard-of beauty in a konairoo^ where she went
to bathe some time after her marriage and that they had attracted
her, one exhibiting her beautiful hands. We hear of such and
such a girl favoured of Kunnaikaloo. Vide Kincaid’s The Anchorite
page — for the phenomenon. (Page 85.)
No. 35. THE ZAMINDAR AND HIS TWO SONS
(a) Errati yaigctni, — A red burnishing copper coin of the value
of three pies, or say an English penny. (Page 88, line 23.)
No. 36. THE TWO BARBERS
[а) A great insult to a Mahomedan for which a member of the
Covenanted Civil Service has been dismissed by the Secretary of
State for India quite recently. (Page 90, line 17.)
(б) Muezzin. — The crier who, from the terrace or elevated spot
of a mosque, calls the faithful to prayer. (Page 90, line 18.)
(c) Panddram. — A religious beggar in loose red ochre colour
clothes of Malayalam or Tamil nationality. They rear beards and
moustaches and have on their necks hanging a wreath of rudraksha
or holy I seeds {eleocarpus ganitas), (Page 90, line 29.)
(d) Chowpat Raja. — A foolish king of that name reigning in
Andhair Nageri or city where justice prevails not in which it is
difficult for upright people to dwell. (Page 91.)
No. 37. THE OVER-CONFIDENT MARWADI, HIS
WIFE, AND THE GAY LOTHAIRE
General Note
The story inculcates that however much we may guard our
women they will not give up their infidelity if they are bent upon
doing so, despite they be kept in forests or places inaccessible
to man. The story is one of the class of Hamsa-Vimsa or
Sukasaptati literature charging women with infidelity.
(а) All is confusion, that is all women are, with one honourable
exception, wanting in chastity. (Page 91, line 28.)
(б) One is in confusion or wanting in chastity ; the rest are
leading the life of householders in the best sense of the term.
(Page 92, line 12.)
(c) The Telugus divide women into four classes: — Padmini,
Hastini^ Shankini, Chithini. The woman of the first class is
NOTES
193
a Pativirata or ideal chaste woman, while the woman of the fourth
class is one fit to lead the life of a whore though married. The
other two classes of women are middling, neither very good nor
very bad.
No. 38. THE GIRL OF THE WOODLANDS,
HER BROTHERS AND THE RAKSHASA
Putting of bangles on a woman’s wrist. This is a very interest-
ing process to watch. The bangle-seller first of ail takes the hand
of a woman in his, closes it together with the jutting out
thumb, takes out the suitable bangles chosen by the wearer and
puts them on softening the hand now and then by pressing and
making the ‘ knuckles * to break for the purpose. The bangles
that break while made to fit on the wrists are not charged for.
(Page 95, lines 14-16.)
The folktale is narrated by a woman, hence the Rani in con-
clusion was shown by way of humour as having given to the story-
teller a sari and a choli.
No. 39. THE FAKEER’S DAUGHTER AND
THE WICKED QUEEN
‘ I must get here or I shall not get anywhere.’
This is a superstition. Further no one in India will give you
in the mornings anything on credit though you may be an approved
customer before a transaction, small or large, was made in cash first
by others. But if you give a copper coin even, to serve as handsel,
you will get whatever you require. The contention is, that if you
are given anything on credit first, others also are sure to ask for
credit during the whole of that day and there will be no cash
transaction at all. (Page 96, line 6.)
Beedas, — Pepper leaves, arecanut, nutmeg, cloves, catechu,
and lime in very small quantities folded in neat small triangular
packets and presented to a visitor. This is a sort of introduction.
It is very pleasant to hear ‘ Pan choyi. Pan choyi ’ from boys of
tender age offering for a copper pan-packets in the Star Theatre
and other theatres in Calcutta on theatrical nights. (Page 97.)
‘ Offered the beeda ’ — with a view to become his wife. Rather
this is a si^n of her having selected the Raja for her husband.
This sort of marriage may be considered as or likened untg
25
194
NOTES
a Gandharva mBXT\2i^e or marriage a la Gandharva, or this may be
a sort of marriage said to obtain amongst Mohomedans. (Page 98,
line 2.)
We do not say ‘ Now go,’ but ‘ Now go and come back * when
we come to the conclusion of a story. For it is said, that if we say
‘ Now go the person addressed might, who knows, go away for
good, i.e. die, so we say ‘ Now you go and come {poyee ra.)
Although this is the Telugu ending of the story and Telugu ideas
occur here and there in the course of the story, the story itself
does not appear to be of Telugu origin but of Mahomedan origin,
for we have Urdu words such as keer, fakeer^ paris^ besides
Moslem thought and a custom of marriage which may be
Mahomedan. (Page 98, line 7.)
No. 40. THE KING, HIS SUFFERINGS AND VOW
Strange though the king’s decree in the folklore may seem,
it must have been issued by more than one despotic oriental
king. The sins of Eastern kings were veritably great, but the
Western kings also were no exceptions ; for Reynolds, I hear,
though I have not read him, has much to say against them in his
‘ Mysteries ’.
No. 41. THE GIRL, THE LINGA AND THE
WONDERFUL GIFT
{a) Pradakshina, — Circumambulation, sometimes with wet
clothes on, which depends on the vow one makes. Females are
specially punctilious in going round a temple before visiting the
god at once. Do they drive away spirits from them by this
procedure before entering the sacred precincts ? (Page 99).
(b) Linga. — The phallic Linga and the Yoni are both
worshipped as emblems of God Mahadev and his Consort by the
Shivites. (Page 99).
(c) Athinti-kodaloo, — The daughter-in-law of the mother-in-
law’s house. This term is used out of pity for the daughter-in-
law because of her having no power in her mother-in-law’s house,
e.g. ‘ She is athinti-kodaloo. What can she do ? ’ goes the saying.
(Page 99).
(d) Eight pleasures or Asia bogamuloo. They are —
(1) Snayhabogam. — The Pleasure of Friendship— cultivating
friendship and deriving pleasure therefrom.
NOTES
195
(2) Vastrahogam . — The Pleasure of Dress — wearing the
best clothes, golden laced, of fine texture and of gaudy colours.
(3) Rajabogam. — Tfie Pleasure of being with the Raja —
taking meals with him, driving out with him, etc.
(4) Dhanahogam. — The Pleasure of Wealth — having wealth
in profusion to do what one pleases and no way in want of el
Dorado.
(5) Dhanahogam, — The Pleasure of Charity— dispensing
charity of various kinds — money, cloth, grain, performing charitable
marriages, thread-ceremonies, etc.
(6) Annahogam. — The Pleasure of Food — partaking of the
best food, civil or military, depending on the temperament.
(7) Streebogam^ — The Pleasure of Women — deriving plea-
sure in company of women — carnal pleasures including
(8) Snanabogam. — The Pleasure of Bath — derived from
ablutions. (Page 99, line 27.)
No. 42. KABEERDASS AND KALIDASS
General Note
The folktale has been narrated to the writer by a shoemaker
of the name of Shevaram living in Lascar Line, Nagpur, Central
Provinces. The author of Sakuntala and the Mahomedan disciple
of Ramanand were not contemporaries, for the one flourished in
the sixth century and the other lived, as history has it, preaching
the Ramanji Matham (Ramanuja’s Faith) about a.D. 1420. So
our folklore fabric must fall to the ground because of clashing
in of time (century) ; or Kabeer, whose date is not disputed as
Kalidass’s is, might have another contemporary bearing that illus-
trious name. For in history this name of distinction Kalidass’s
occurs anterior to sixth century : in other words more than one man
must have borne this honoured name with honour further added in
57 B.c. and after under the illustrious Vikramaditya, but not at
any rate in the early Christian era. Or somehow or other the tale
must have been mixed up about the sage and poet irrespective of
time because of their universal renown.
(a) Vahanas . — Every god or goddess has his or her carneY.
Shiva has^ his bull ; Durga has her tiger ; Ganesa has his rat ;
Saras vfati has her peacock and so on, (Page 100.)
l^OfES
No. 43. THE PRINCE AND THE DECEITFUL
HOSPICE-KEEPER
(a) PaidharSlloo Peddhanttnah. — Folktale heroes are made to
pass their nights or days when they first arrive in a country at a
Paidhardlloo or Paidharaisi Peddhammah (poor elderly mother),
whose house may be regarded as an hospice, she herself being the
proprietress. She is in folklore an old simple dame and chatterbox,
at times a deceptive woman notwithstanding her good name and
position as a private boarding house-keeper. Peddhammah lite-
rally means father’s elder brother’s wife. (Page 101, para. 1.)
(b) Vara, — A Madras coin valued at Rs. 3-8. (Page 101.)
(c) Deepavali. — A festival during which houses are beautifully
illuminated and the Goddess of Wealth, Lakshmi, is worshipped.
(Page 101.)
(d) Kich, kich. — Figure of Onomatopceia — that rats make such
noise, say the Telugus (Page 102, line 2.)
(e) The bridegroom or bride is subject to five minutes' swoon,
called flower-swoon, on the bridal procession night, and this is
attributed to the emanation of scent of flowers. (Page 103, line 8.)
(/) Andhaeloo, etc. — The ornaments worn on the feet of women
should always be of silver, unless one is a queen, who alone can
put on gold ornaments on these parts of the body. (Page 103,
line 5.)
No. 44. THE BRAHMIN, THE OILMAN AND THE
PROSTITUTE
{a) Nulghu is the paste made of moongkadal by pounding
process. Oil is mixed in it and the paste applied to the body and
rubbed vigorously so as to remove dirt and impart beauty and
strengths Bath taken after the application of this paste is called
nulghusndnam or nulgu bath. (Page 104, line 9.)
(6) Angavasthram, — Cloth or scarf thrown loosely over or
across the shoulders. It is generally of white cloth with gold
lace. (Page 104.)
(c) Bharadhum. — Contraction for Vyasa’s M ahabharatham
translated into English by P. C. Roy, C.I.E. (Page 104.)
(d) Kanda is the term employed here, not its English equiva-
lent * Canto It, for example, conveys more sense or meaning
because of its samat than the vague meaning conveyed by the
WQtd Canto. Such is the Sanskrit language^ the mother of all
KbTfeS
19 ?
languages, so easily bends itself to mould into verse because of its
samas or other forms of nicety.
(e) Anjanayuloo — another popular name for Hanuman, the
monkey god, derived from the name of his old mother Anjanadevi.
(Page 104.)
(/) Volloo kalchookokoonday Telugu for ‘ without burning his
body * rather finger according to the English idiom. (Page 105.)
(g) Ganga nainoo ranoo, — I swear by the Ganges I won't
come. (Page 105.)
[h) Vankara hurra. — A walking stick neither very straight nor
very crooked — a cross between a straight and a crooked stick
considered to be a beauty amongst the Telugus. (Page 105.)
(t) Chemhoo and Vootharani, — Both are brass vessels, the one
is intended for drinking water, while the other is for keeping doles
received in kind. (Page 105.)
(y) Bhagavatam players. — These strolling companies perform
plays from the Bhagavatam or Diversions of Sri Krishna. They
have a head called puntuloo (pedagogue), or what we termed in
the story as manager being equivalent to Sutrddar of Mahratti
plays ; a dancer, a courtesan, who also represents the histrionic
talents ; and a drummer called the Sdnaykadu. (Page 106.)
(fe) Torri gavva. — Broken cowrie. Broken shell (cypra moneta)
pass for some monetary value in India. Eighty go to make a
copper coin of the value of about an English penny. (Page 106.)
(Z) Achhapatra. — Doles of rice or doles received in kind.
(Page 107.)
(m) Dhathams — manodatham, dhannadatham, and vakku^
datham. — Solemn promises — Promise to self ; Promise to give
charity ; Promise by word of mouth. (Page 107.)
(«) A female curse. — Taking three handfuls of earth, the wrong-
ed woman empties the same in entirety before the sun -god calling
him to witness the injustice and then curses her enemy. (Page 107.)
(o) Conclusion of the story by the narrator taking into
consideration the external circumstances. (Page 107, para. 2.)
No. 45. THE IMPOVERISHED MERCHANT AND
. THE FICKLE-MINDED WIFE
General Note
This story exhibits deplorable state of things but a chaste Hindu
v ife would not do anything of the sort. Rather she would prefer to
NOTES
Ids
take rat’s bane or powdered glass or dhatura or opium and oil
mixed to put an end to her existence than prostitute herself to
satisfy the cravings of hunger. But the purpose of the story
is to teach a lesson that, if we ravish any one’s wife, our wife
would be ravished by others in turn.
No. 46. THE SILLY MERCHANT
General Note
The lesson inculcated by the foregoing story is, that if we take
advantage of other men’s wives even by so little as pulling aside
of sari or winking or ogling, etc., or by so great as committing
improprieties with them, other men also will deal out with the
same measure to our wives. Pulling aside of sari is a piece
of disrespect. That privilege is enjoyed by the husband alone
and this say twice in six months. As a matter of fact there
arises no occasion for him to make use of the privilege except
when he would smilingly ask his wife with the words ‘ Behold
here or look there ’ to rivet her attention on a non-existing thing
when he would jokingly pull aside the sari.
No. 47. THE KING AND THE THREE OLD MEN
General Note
The story inculcates the benefit arising from keeping aloof
as much as possible even from legitimate pleasure, or the value
of staying power leading to prolongation of life, strengthening
the force of the Mahomedan proverb ‘ Ratanku jatankaro vakt
par karch^ karo (Take care of the virile power and spend it in
proper season).
We doubt persons attaining to the age of 300 years or more, but
sages in the Himalayan mountains, it is said, live to greater age
than this, which is corroborated by Christian evidence afforded by
Metheseula and others living for thousands of years. The average
span of man’s life on this earth is forty-four years, now reduced to
thirty-three owing to deterioration of species in physique, but we
have on record persons living to the limit of 150 tq 200 years of
age, the centenarians here and there are not to be taken into con-
sideration. As regards sages, in the course of this note, I may say
from What I have heard that when theWarangal Railway'-evidently
NOTES
199
the Nizam's Guaranteed State Railway — was being constructed or
the construction reached the point at the old capital of Pratap
Rudra, some of the engineers came across some Sadhus underneath
the ground or in samadhi state who enquired whether Rama had
punished Ravana» brought back Sita from Lanka and gone to
his country of Ayodhya. They were informed that Kaliyuga
had already dawned when they expressed a wish to be convinced
where they were. From this, it may be imagined, of the age of
the sages who sat in contemplation these 3,000 years or since the
time that Rama went to punish Ravana at Lanka.
No. 48. THE KING AND THE SHEPHERD
Shepherds are considered to be mad-caps or fools and they are
said to possess no intellect.
Rumna is the original Hindi expression for a verdant grazing
ground of our text. It is usually an extensive lawn carpetted
with grass always by the side of a hill on which the cattle and
sheep browse to their heart’s content. This is the nistar granted
to the people as laid down in the Wajib-ul-Arz of a district.
No. 49. ELLAYI AND MULLAYI
(а) Ellayi and Mullayi are corrupted forms of the Telugu
men’s names of Ellaya and Mullaya.
(б) When narrating a story the narrator asks some one of the
listeners to say ^ meaning (yes or well) as he proceeds, his idea
being that one man at least should give him a hearing for the trouble
he takes of narrating, let all the others be listlessly lying in bed,
more or less asleep or awake. But when the ^ is not forthcoming
even from the one listener the narrator himself quietly goes to bed.
The season for narration of stories is summer of moonlit
nights and in the open air when, on account of heat or sultry
character of the season, people are driven out of doors.
No. SO. THE KING AND THE DERVISH
Dervishes . — Hermits and other religious men are fearless and
outspoken. They are not afraid to speak out their mind even
to kings, e,g., Shumshirrag of Delhi, vide Swynmerton, ‘ Romantic
Tales from the Punjab’
200
NOTES
No. 52. THE CROW AND ITS YOUNG
This is a nursery story. The birdies* names have meanings.
Dwiya Gambeera — * Splendid Majesty * ; Lachanna Raghurama
Name after Lakshmana, brother of Rama, and after Rama
himself of the race of Raghu. (We have a poem in the Sanskrit
language called Raghuvamsa by Kalidass giving a genealogical
account of Rama and his ancestors) ; Pairay Ramannah — Name
of Rama itself ; Pekkev Sundari*-The beautiful. It is not known
what is meant by Pekkev. This is probably a she-bird’s name.
No. 56. THE SEVEN PRINCES AND THE FAIRIES
{a) Mullaypushpamulu. — Lilies of white colour, jessamines.
They emit the sweetest of smells felt for some distance. Cartloads
of these and other kinds of flowers come by rail into Secunderabad
and Hyderabad (Deccan) from the flower-producing district of
Warangal. (Page 121, line 5.)
(6) Married a la Gandharva — According to Gandharva laws of
marriage. Tn the absence of a priest, both the parties swore
themselves before a deity to be faithful to each other and garland
themselves and thus become man and wife. This is the Gandharva
form of marriage. (Page 121, line 12.)
(c) ‘ See their brothers’ faces.* — The Telugu original is mokdkloo
choodadam, meaning seeing faces, i.e. visiting or meeting. Face is
the principal part of the body, while the hands and feet are not
as they are immaterial and hence the idiom ‘ seeing faces *. (Page
121, line 20.)
(d) Na potty pendlatna is the original expression of the text for
‘ my short-statured wife *. It is a term of endearment. Shortness
is considered by Telugus a beauty amongst women. The Telugu
would not say ‘ My wife,* etc. to a relation when referring to his
better-half, but always state the term of relationship with which
the woman his wife stands to the man or woman he is talking to.
(Page 121, line 33.)
(e) Devata gana as opposed to Rdkshasa gana, — This is
an astrological term meaning that those who take theil birth in the
former gana or class are like gods or goddesses in their tempera-
ment, while those who take their birth in the latter are like
Rakshasas in their temperament, (Page 122),
NOTES
20t
No. 57. THE MAN AND THE SNAKE
Neeru Kuttay or Neela pctmoo, — Water stick or water snake.
(Page 124.)
No. 58. THE KHADIRA TREE AND THE AXE
Khadira tree is the Acacia catechu.
Nee vadoo ndlo vuntai. — Original Telugu literally meaning
'Yours in me,’ referring to the piece of Wood inserted in the
hole of the axe or eyeletted in the axe and the same allowed to
remain lengthwise with a view to give it strength and make
powerful. (Page 125, line 11.)
No. 59. NAVLIPITTA AND PIGLIPITTA
Navlipitia or namili is a peacock (pavo crestatus) called a
gallinaceous fowl in ornithology. It is considered sacred by the
Hindus and is the carrier (vahana) of Saraswati, the Goddess of
Learning. Piglipitta is the common Madras Bulbul [molpastes
hcemorrhons).
No. 60. THE MILKMAN AND THE RAMSYANA
{a) The intellect of the GoUavUru — milkmen — is very very in-
ferior or of small calibre. The Rev. M. A. Sherring of Benares
says the lower the caste the lesser the intellectual power. He
is too true, of course ; there are exceptions however — one m ten
thousand. (Page 125.)
(6) The Rdmdyana is no ordinary thing : it is as weighty as
that of a pack on a bullock’s back. Rdtmayana, that immortal epic
by the great Valmiki, claims a long antiquity of 3,000 years. It is
read in the evenings in large cities of India by a distinguished
pandit of great eloquence or oratorical power. First of all the
Sanskrit text is read, then follow the prakrit explanation with
illustrations from every-day life. There is not a man who does
not know the exploits of the high-souled Rama or his faithful
servant, Hanuman, and there is not a dame or village lassie who is
not acquainted with the high moral character and sufferings of that
model of chastity — Seeta, (Page 125.)
No. a2. THE KING AND SELFISH BARBER
General Note
The ^barbers are familiar with kings because they come in
contact with them in the course of their profession. Further they
26
202 NOTES
are a garrulous folk, full of bazaar gossip. For a laughable sketch
of Tom the Barbsr, please see ‘ Behind the Bungalow * by Eha
(E. H. Aitken, B.A.),
When a traveller goes from one country to another one of
the principal questions asked is about the grain, whether cheap or
dear. In India if the grain or rice, which is the staple food of the
Indians, is cheap, the people are said to be content, fully illus-
trating Goldsmith’s lines ‘ Man wants but little here below and
that not long.’ Poor unfortunates. They know of no luxuries.
No. 63. THE MAN AND HIS TWO WIVES
General Note
This story is narrated to discourage or discountenance polygamy
or man’s marrying two wives which, they say, is a cause of con-
stant quarrel in a family or house. It is true that co- wives fall out
now and then and cause the husband’s life to be miserable ; it is
equally true that they live friendly like sisters without coming to
loggerheads and asking the husband shamefacedly to interfere in
their trivial matters of petty jealousy. The old law-giver Manu
distinctly lays down that a man can marry a second wife in addi-
tion to the first, if the latter, firstly, is a minor or under age ;
secondly, is suffering from incurable disease ; thirdly, is barren or
incapable to produce an offspring to perpetuate the race.
So the fabric of the story falls to the ground by reason of the
sanctioned law as laid down in the Dharmashctstra of old.
(a) Shampooing is an usual thing at the homes of some poor
people (also at the homes of rich people or nawabs). When
a labourer returns from his work he asks his wife to shampoo
his legs. This is part of massage treatment finding favour in
England and many European invalids are benefited by having
recourse to it at the seaside watering places. Pure shampooing
must be condemned but not the massage treatment especially in
the case of invalids. It is with pleasure the writer recollects as
he writes of the luxurious Turkish Baths he had at the Hamani,
Delhi, perhaps one of the old Hamams of the Moghul Emperors,
during his visits to that place in 1889 and 1893 wl^ere massage
treatment formed an invariable course. This would be considered
fashionable; but after the tickling sensation caused by shampoo-
ing by the specialist was over, it becomes a great factor to driving
NOTES
203
out the fatigue of a traveller after his hard wanderings in the
ruins of the old Hastinapura. (Page 127, line 24.)
(&) Her mother’s house, not father’s, either because of the esti-
mation in which a daughter holds her mother, or because of the
countenance the mother gives to her daughter to run away from
her husband’s as often as she pleases. (Page 127, line 26.)
No. 64. THE GODDESS AND THE KING
(а) S^ganampadam . — ‘ Sending away ’ in the original or, the
free rendering, * induce to go away The custom is, that when
people come to know that cholera has established itself in a certain
locality they collect subscriptions and make a grand pooja to
propitiate and send off the goddess good-humouredly before she
thinks of making a longer stay. This is sdganampadam. Some
days before the pooja is performed, women — old, middle-aged,
and young — go to the temple of the devi with potfuls of water
over their heads and throw the contents thereof before the
goddess. This is sctkapoyadam and the reason for so doing is to
lessen the wrath of the goddess preparatory to the performance
of the pooja which, as a rule, takes some time after, as subscrip-
tions have to be collected. (Page 128, lines 13-14.)
(б) Nippooloo hogooloo mringookoonta in the original Telugu
for the English rendering ‘ burning with rage * ; literally meaning,
swallowing or devouring fires, charcoal, i.e. venting forth rage
and anger. (Page 128, line 18.)
No. 65. THE WOOD-SELLER AND THE SEVEN
FAIRIES
(a) Levdees, — A confection of the Hindus made of jaggery in
small circular shapes resembling half -rupee pieces and covered
over with gingelly seeds. The comparison can be said to have
been finely drawn, at any rate in the place where the folktale was
narrated, viz. Hyderabad (Deccan), where Halli Sicca coins (118
of which go to 100 Gt. Rs.) are in use. Levdees resemble these
State coins. (Page 130.)
(&) Sooka Houz in the original for a ‘ ruined fountain ’ as it
were. The’writer is in doubt as to the precise meaning of the
term. Houz in Hindustani means a fountain or a cistern but
why the ^dj^tive sooka or dry. The supreme beauty of a fountain
is water; but we have ruined fountains where water ran dry or
204
tJOTES
ivater communication stopped and thus gave asylum to the
repulsive reptiles, the frog, the toad, the lizard and the bloodsucker.
(Page 130.)
(c) Lanka or pyrotechnic display as a whole so called because
Havana’s Lanka (the modern Ceylon) likened to be such (a
display) amidst the greatest conflagration that the world has ever
seen, Hanuman being the cause. A fine comparison assuredly if
we have before our mind’s eye the scene as portrayed for us by
the master pen of Valmiki in his immortal work rendered into
exquisite English poetry by Ralph T. H. Griffith and into chaste
English prose by Manmatha Nath Datta. (Page 133.)
(d) T&ritjole or THr^mandal. — A group of starlike appearance
resembling a constellation of the heavenly bodies. (Page 133.)
(e) Soorsoorhuttees, — Lights sending out tiny sparks of fire
soon after making the sound sursur. (Page 133.)
(/) Chhichboodloo. — Flower pots. Small circular earthen pots
filled with powder and closed except at the igniting face or orifice.
They send out flowers when fired. English hunters make use of
them in their hunting expeditions in making tigers to come out of
their lairs or lurking-places. (Page 133.)
No. 66. THE KING’S SON AND THE PROPHECY
(a) Panchang or Panchangam. — Hindu almanac of the Zadkiel
type and perhaps more. Horoscopes are drawn up from informa-
tion inferred from this astronomical publication and strange that
what made mention of in these horoscopes comes to be true
in the majority of cases. (Page 134.)
(b) Puspuhattaloo is the original Telugu for saffron or turmeric
robes. A bridegroom is not allowed to move out from the marriage
pandal so long as he has these robes on or wears the Kankan
(bracelet) on the arm. Women folk express great grief when a
bridegroom dies in his marriage robes or any misfortune happens
unto him during that period — vide Daisingh Raja Charitra.
(Page 134, line 28.)
No. 67. THE YOUNG MAN AND HAZARI LAL OF
BAIDAR’S DAUGHTER
-Colonel Meadows Taylor in his * Noble Queen * ^ives a very
beautiful and graphic account of the warlike race of Baiders
(meaning the fearless) of Shorapore, a confiscated Native State
of His Exalted Highness the. Nizam's .Dominions*
Notes
^05
No. 69. THE FAULTY BRAHMAN
(а) Kdshi or Vctrandtshi. — The modern Benares. A very very
old city and picturesque with its temples and ghats, amongst
others the famous Dasasamedha and Manikramanika ghats. The
scene of king Harischandra’s play is laid in this ancient city.
(б) Ganga. — The river Ganges. It is regarded sacred. To
take an oath on it is solemn and binding on a true Hindu.
No. 70. THE STORY OF ROLOO AND MUDHDHAILA
(a) Roloo. — A wooden mortar in which rice is pounded with a
pestle called a rokali in Telugu and mosul in Hindustani, a long
cylindrical wooden thing with a metallic ring at the pounding-end.
(&) Mudhdhaila. — Tubla (Hindustani) is an Indian musical
instrument or drum. Both hands, rather the forefingers of each
hand, are made use while beating it to produce sound. It keeps
time with instrumental music or the musical instrument called the
sitar or guitar.
No. 81. THE BRAHMIN, THE GOLDSMITH AND
THE IMAGE OF GOLD
General Note
The story is narrated to illustrate the greediness for gold of the
Brahmin and the cunning nature of the goldsmith. The greed of
the Brahmin and the cunning of the goldsmith are both proverbial
throughout India.
No. 82. THE ADVENTURES OF RATNALPOLCHETTY
(а) Boosanchar, — To travel on earth literally. In other words,
to travel in countries. (Page 153.)
(б) Pyal. — Chaboothra in the Hindustani language. Raised
seats of earth before a house or Indian dwelling, yet attached to
the same to the right and left of the principal entrance door.
They greatly serve the purpose of chairs outside. (Page 153.)
(c) Palkalputti. — The exact meaning of the term is not known.
Perhaps it may mean literally slate-bearer or carrier. (Page 153.)
(d) Rainalpolchetty,—A dealer in precious stones and gems.
(Page 157.)
ie) Parijata , — Amaranth^^One of the trees in Paradise. The
coral tree Brythrimt fnlgtinB. CRase 157.)
206
KOTfiS
(j) Ravikay. — Choli in Hindustani. A piece of drapery covering
the back and the chest of the Hindu lady. Both the ends grace-
fully meet at the hollow of the chest where they are tied with
a knot. (Page 157.)
(g) Gandharvavivaha, — A sort of civil marriage. The contract-
ing parties go before a god or goddess in a temple and vow they
will be faithful to each other unto death ; after which they garland
themselves with immortelles and the ceremony is said to be
complete. Gandharva marriages are celebrated in the absence of
priests or in countries where there are no priests. (Page 159.)
(h) Argoo in the original for a platform of earth. A platform of
mud not at all high but square in form raised exactly in the centre
of a marriage pandal where, the bridegroom pressing the left foot
of the bride with his right, ties the gold tali or shatamdnam round
her neck ; after which rains the turmeric-coloured rice on the
heads of the happy couple from the hands of the assembled people,
and the marriage proper is said to be over. (Page 159, line 20.)
(0 Pdrentalloo, — Married ladies (ladies whose husbands are
alive) who have the right to take part in a marriage ceremony.
Adjusting of ornaments on the person of the bride as also applying
turmeric to her are amongst their other duties. They are given the
Kunkuma (vermilion powder) and turmeric (this is denied to the
widows). Pctrentalloo are expected to be pativiratas (note on
which please see), but some of them though breakers in secret of the
commandment are still pativiratas to the external unknowing
world and revered as such after death. A pativirata differs
from the pdrentalloo in this respect, that the former is chaste or
acts up to her vow conscientiously or is born as such, while the
latter might not be and still none would point their finger at her
because of the umbrella she has over her head (i.e., because of
her husband being alive). (Page 160.)
(j) Kaikeyi. — The favourite wife of Dasharatha, the father of
the hero RSma of Valmiki's epic. The reference is that when the
chariot was travelling in space or in the meghamandala or firma-
ment with great velocity, Kaikeyi, the favourite wife of Dasha-
ratha, had had a bolt of the car surreptitiously removed and, insert-
ing her finger in the hole, called the attention of her "husband in
the words : ‘ J ust look. Had it not been for me your chariot ere
long would have gone to Pdttetla (earth below) and turned tp atoms.’
The unsuspicious or simple king believed her statement and|
NOTES
207
applauding her action, bade Kaikeyi to name any boon and it
would be granted unto her. * Grant *, said the cunning queen,
that one of my sons be crowned king in preference to others
Need it be said that the boon was granted with what result we
know : for this the obedient and humble Rama, though the first
born of the chief queen, had to go into exile for fourteen long
years. (Page 160.)
No. 83. THE TIGER AND THE ASS
There is a fun on the words Ser and Savds^r. S^r means a tiger
and Sav^ser more than a tiger. Ser is a weight of 2 lbs. and
SavStsdr 2^ lbs.
No. 86. THE ORIGIN OF MUSHROOM
Poottakokooloo is the Indian fungus grown on hills and hillocks
but not to an appreciable extent. It is inferior to the English
mushroom. There is another kind of fungus, yellowish in colour
and smaller in size, growing about the houses or on dung-hills but
it is not eaten by the people. They say that this is not the true
fungus, being born of the urine made by dogs. (Page 167.)
No. 87. WHY THE MOGLI FLOWER AND THE
LIME DISCARDED IN WORSHIP OF DEITIES
Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha form the Hindu triad. Brahma
being the Creator, Vishnu the Reproducer and Mahesha the
Destroyer. (Page 167, line 26.)
No. 88. THE BEGGAR AND THE TACTLESS
CHARITABLE LADY
Ginnai . — A vessel made of bell-metal and resembling an earthen
plate to eat out of, say, a poringer. (Page 168.)
No 89. THE WOMAN, THE FOWL CURRY AND HER
HUSBAND
General Note
What is,ham and turkey to the Englishmen so is fowl curry to
the poor Hindu Sudra of the Madras Presidency. When a
relative or ^friend comes to a Hindu’s house the domestic fowl
{kodi) is* killed to entertain him,
208
Notes
No. 93. THE FAMILY AND THE LEUCODERMA
General Note
The story is narrated with the application that girls from a
family that is attacked by leucoderma should never be asked in
marriage.
No. 96. THE KING, THE QUEEN, AND THE EVIL
HOUR
General Note
Providentially in most cases and by extreme precaution in
some cases the evil or dangerous hour is averted, but when the
last moment arrives nothing can turn aside the mortal danger.
Zadkiel some years back cast an horoscope of Alexander II of
Russia in connection with which he spoke in his almanac that, had
the evil hour arrived at by the help of the heavenly bodies been
averted by caution, the Czar would not have been assassinated.
Though astrology gave birth to astronomy and strangely enough
lost its value, nevertheless it is true when handled by experts.
The predictions of the Bengal prophet have, in most cases, been
fulfilled. Colonel Meadows Taylor in his ‘ Story of My Life ’ tells
us how the life of the young inquisitive Shorepore Raja — the last,
of the Beydar Rajas — was terminated as mentioned in his Janma-
patrika. Sir Edwin Arnold narrates the death of Dr. Howard, the
Director of Public Instruction, as foretold by the Joshi.
No. 97. THE PRINCESS, HER HUSBAND AND
THEIR DEAD CHILDREN
General Note
The story is narrated to teach those who lose their children in
infancy that children are our creditors of the previous birth. They
come into the present birth to repay. When the debt is big they
stay long, if small they tarry for a little or short while and then
go away.
(а) Goont&pilla yenta kadupu, — The sooner a child is laid in
the grave the quicker the conception takes place. *(Page 174,
line 8.)
(б) The fifth day ceremony is the ceremony performed on the
fifth day of the demise of an infant dr child, dispensing with the
NOtES
209
third and tho tenth day or chief day \,peddadinuM or big day
ceremony] ceremonies which must take place in the case of a
deceased adult. The ceremony at the graveyard consists in making
a small hole on the top of the cowdung plastered tomb and
putting into it, after purification, milk, fruits, sweets, etc. which
the infant or child liked during its life-time on this earth, the priest
sitting over the tomb and, under cover of a cloth, partaking of
pindapradan or what is offered to the spirit. Other ceremonies
follow at the house of the deceased. (Page 174, line 22.)
No. 99. THE STORY OF THE PISHOO (FLEA) AND
THE BUG
General Note
In some districts of the Central Provinces, e.g. Seoni and Jubbul-
pore, there is a regular pest of Pishoo — Hindustani, a very small
flea — black in appearance and probably of the class of lice, taking
possession of hair-growth in the man’s body. In this connection a
story is told : Once a gosai while passing through one of these
districts, asked for alms. The inmate of a house thereof, who was
taking meals then, replied * KUthavoo ’ (meaning, ‘ I am taking
food '). Kdthaitaho Khuj&thairako (Hindustani meaning, * may
you be eating and scratching *) said the gosai and moved on. Since
then the curse is said to rest on these districts and the people are
in consequence annoyed to vexation point by the bite of these
terrible fleas.
No. 100. THE GURU, HIS DISCIPLE, THE
JUGGLING WOMAN AND THE CHOLA KING
AND QUEEN
(а) S&thltnees — DasariwCtndlu — Telugu religious beggars of
the sect of Ramanuja, the Reformer. (Page 176.)
(б) Chevvaku (Telugu, Ear-leaf) — A bit of palm-leaf rolled and
inserted as an ornament by the Tamil ladies and women of the
Madras Presidency in the large and broad hole bored for the
purpose in the lobe of the ear. I remember while travelling in
the Madras Presidency the happy idea of a fellow-passenger of
mine of iitserting small ivory paintings (I brought from Northern
India and which 1 have shown him) in the ears — the bored ears :
the Tamil -name of which is Tollakddhu — of his wife. This by
the by is an instance of Deformity in Fashion. (Page 180, line 24.)
27
210
NOTES
(c) Dommaridhi — Telugu, a female juggler.
Dommarawadu — Telugu, a male juggler.
Dommarawdndlu — Telugu, jugglers collectively for both
male and female. — A general term for jugglers of all sorts, whether
tight-rope dancers or walkers on the rope in Blondin fashion
or those who perform feats of legerdemain.
(jd) Chola — A famous dynasty of kings reigned in Trichinopoly.
Chola and Pandya are dynasties famous in history. (Page 178.)
(e) No vacancy — Enter any office in India and find the un-
interesting notice to the humble office-seeker on the notice-board in
the words ‘ No vacancy ’ in broad bold letters. Strange is the
ambition of almost every one here to become a clerk in a Govern-
ment office and forsake other professions, lucrative or otherwise.
(Page 179, line 3.)
(J) Green palanquin — A palanquin decorated with green leaves
and shoots of plants. We also speak of green pandal or pandal
erected for the celebration therein of a marriage in which green
leaves, etc., are employed in profusion. Green means auspicious-
ness. (Page 180, line 4.)
(g) Pativrata — See note in Story No. 17, (Page 54.)
No. 101. THE MAN AND HIS VERY UNKIND WIFE
What you term Diwali in the Bombay Presidency, Central
Provinces and other parts, is termed Deepawali in Southern India.
It is a Hindu festival, when all the houses are illuminated and the
Goddess of Wealth worshipped ; when the Marwadis or the banker
class whose new year begins from Diwali, close the accounts of the
past year and open new ones, and gamble besides on a large scale.
Diwali is derived from Div (Mahratti) a light ; dli, a row of lights,
i.e. a line of lights. Deepawali (Telugu) is derived from deepa,
a light ; wali, a cluster or row ; i.e. a cluster or row of lights.
Achdryuloo, T.
Adhar, H.
A dimoor thooloo^ T.
Adhrushta, T.
Alludu, T.
Amhccri^ T.
Amma^ T.
Ainmavdrut T.
AndhailoOj T.
Afigula, S.
Anjanayuloo, T.
Apsaras, T.
Aryabumij T.
Aryavdrta, T,
A Sana, H.
Attar, H.
Aiya, T.
Bald, Hin.
Bala, S.
Bahumdnam, T.
Bania, H.
Banyan (Anglicised)
Ber, Hin.
Boroogooloo, T.
Bootulli, T.
Boodevi, T.
Bhdrata, M.
Bharathaiifirsha, H.
Bharathahhumii M.
GLOSSARY
A
. . . Spiritual preceptor.
... Nourishment.
... The Hindu Triad.
... Fate, destiny.
... Son-in-law.
... Royal seat on an elephant.
. .. Mother.
. .. The Goddess of Small-pox.
... Silver ornaments for women’s feet.
A span in length.
Hanuman the servant of Rama the
Epic hero.
Heavenly dancers.
... India.
. .. India.
... Seat.
... Otto.
... Father.
B
Evil spirit.
... A child.
Present.
... A grocer.
... The Indian fig tree Bengalensis.
Ficus Indica.
... The jujube tree. (Zizyphus jujubam)
... Fried Indian millet.
... Mother Earth.
... The Goddess of Earth.
... A famous Indian king [son of Dushyanta
and Sakuntala] .
... India.
... India.
Hi
GLOSSARY
Bhareta, H.
... Washerman, the iirst washerman of
Rama.
Bharetan, H.
... His wife.
Bindai, T.
... A brass pot for water.
Brahma^ S.
... One of the Gods of the Hindu Triad.
Chaddar^ H.
C
Cloth thrown across the body of a
woman.
Chakwa Chakwi, H.
... The Chakcr birds.
Chamar^ Hin.
... A member of the shoemaker caste.
ChapSltis, H.
... Wheaten cakes.
Chnrpoy, H.
An Indian country cot.
Chataloo^ T.
... Winnowers.
Cheepurloo, T.
Brooms.
Cheer ay ^ T.
... A sari.
ChemhoOy T.
... A drinking vessel of brass.
Chinta, T.
... Tamarind.
Chintabarikay, T.
... A shoot of a Tamarind tree.
Choli, M.
... An Indian woman’s bodice.
Cliowk, Hin.
... Main street, a boulevard.
Chunclm (Anglicised)
... Lime or stucco.
Conjee^ Tam.
... Gruel.
Cowry, Hin.
. . . Cypra moneta.
Dakshinadisha, S.
D
) ^
Ddkshindtya, S.
> The southern country or the Deccan.
Darbar, H.
... Levee or drawing-room.
Daridrium, T.
... Adversity.
Devi^ H.
... Goddess.
Dhall, H.
... A kind of vetch.
Dhandamatta,
... Salutation unto thee, mother-in-law.
Dher, H.
... A low caste of Hindustan.
Dhobi, H.
... A washerman.
Dhobun, H.
... A washerwoman.
Dhoti, H.
... A Hindu male dress.
Durba, S.
... A kind of grass (Agros^ts linearis)
Durji, Hin.
... A tailor.
Dwija, S.
... A twice-born (Brahmin) •
glossary
F
Pakeer, Hin. ... A religious beggar.
G
Gajendra, T.
Ganesha,S,
Ganga or Ganges, T. and
Anglicised.
Garhaddn^ H . ?
Garbavcisit T. ^
Garha^ Hin.
Ghatika, S.
Ghi, Hin.
Ginnai, T.
Godhamuloo, T.
Gollax9>ddu, T.
GollawdndLu, T.
Gosai or gosain, H.
Gujri, H.
Gunjee, T.
Guriginja or Gidivcndha,
T.
GurUf S.
An elephant.
Hindu God of Learning.
Name of a famous river in India.
Consummation of marriage.
An earthen pot for water.
Hour.
Clarified butter.
A porringer.
Wheat.
A milkman.
Milkmen.
A sage or recluse.
A market-place.
Gruel.
Abrus precatorius seed.
A teacher.
Hamsa, T.
Hanufftan, H.
Haridas, M.
Heera, H.
n
A bird of the flamingo species.
Servant of Rama, the Epic hero.
A servant or slave of Hari.
An emerald.
Indra Sahha^ H.
Ishwata, S.
Jalam, S.
Jangama, T.
Jantnapatrika^ M.
JaribattaloOf T.
1
Court of Indra.
God. lit. Lord of the earth.
J
Water.
A Shaivite religious beggar.
An horoscope.
Laced cloths.
glossary
Jholay, T. (Jholi, H.)
Jhoomk^loot T.
Joshi, M.
KalpUi S.
Kdnda, T.
Kdrdgruham, T.
Kathaloo, T.
Keer, H.
Kismath, H.
Khandif M.
Khudawundhy Hin.
Khuncholi, M.
Kokay T.
KonairoOy T.
Koodoorooy T.
Kothandapctnyy T,
Kotwaly H.
Kuberuy S.
KudgUy T.
Lakhy H.
Laly H.
Lal^fty !E^I
Lanka y H.
Lota, H.
LiiddooSy H.
Lungotiy H.
Mahathmay T.
Mahashy S.
Mainaka, S.
Mala
Malakara, S.
Mafidhiraniy T,
Marwadiy H.
A sack to receive doles.
Women’s ornaments (gold) for the ears.
An astrologer.
K
A cycle of years.
Canto.
Prison-house.
Stories.
An Indian sweet dish.
Fate.
An Indian measure of 8+0 lbs.
Lord-protector.
Cboli with a silk border,
A Sari.
A cistern, square or circular.
Spindle shanks.
A Hindu God or Krishna.
Prefect of police.
The Hindu God of Wealth.
Water of washed rice.
L
One hundred thousand.
A ruby.
Possessor of rubies.
Island of Ceylon.
A brass drinking vessel.
A kind of Indian sweetmeat.
Loin-cloth.
M
A great soul.
One of the Gods of the Hindu Triad.
One of the celestial dancers.
Wreath
A florist.
An Hindu temple.
An inhabitant of Marwa^, usually a
banker.
GLOSSARY
215
MUrwddafiy H.
Wife of a Mar wadi.
Mat^y H.
The Goddess of Sniall-pox.
Manthram, T.
A sacred text, a charm.
Manthriy T.
A minister.
Maya, T.
An illusion.
Meghamandaly M.
Firmament.
Mehtar, Vl'in.
A member of the sweeper caste.
Meruy T.
Paradise of Hindus.
Mimamsay S.
Vedic exegetics.
Mogiliy T.
Kevda flower. {Pand a n u s odora^
tissimus).
Mohwa, Hin.
Bassia latifolia.
Moorwoolooy T.
Silver ornaments for women’s feet.
Muhurta, M.
Moment.
Mukhtiy T.
Absolution.
Mullay pushpamuloOy T.
Lily flowers, jessamines.
Naiwedhyat M.
Nautchesy Hin.
Nitishdstra, T.
N
Oblation.
Musical entertainments.
A work on ethics.
P
Pacheesiy H.
The Indian Chess.
Pancha, T.
An ordinary dhoti or Hindu male dress,
Pandaram, T.
. . A religious beggar of Southern country,
Pandit y‘ H.
A learned man, a teacher.
Panneeruy T.
Scent.
Panniara, H.
.. Water-carrier.
Pardhanashin, Hin.
k pur'^ha \didy.
Pariy H.
A fairy.
Parmeshwar, S.
.. God.
P^rwatiy S.
The Consort of Parameshvara.
Patala, M.
The nether regions.
Pcttashala, S.
. . School.
Pathriy T.
Sacred leaves of trees.
PctvadalUy T.
Silver ornaments for women’s feet.
Pilla, T. •
. . . A girl.
Pillendluy T.
Ornaments (silver) for women’s toes,
Pilliamniai T.
... Some Hindu village goddesst
216
Pipaly H.
Pishooy T.
Ponna, T.
Poojay H.
Pradakshinay H.
Pradhnniy T.
PrandtHy S.
Prdnapathyy T.
Priyayy T.
Pullyarswamiy Tam.
PushpGy T.
PuspUy T.
Pyaly Hin.
Raj ay H.
Rajahansay S.
Rajendriy S.
Rdkhas or Rdkshasy
and S.
Rakshashay S.
Rakshashiy S.
Ramhhay S.
Raniy H.
Ravikay, T.
Rupee {Rupia, S.)
Anglicized.
Sadhuy H.
Sdmoodoo, T.
Sdnaykdduy T.
Sandhyay T.
Saniy T.
Santhosay S.
Saraswatiy S.
Sdriy H.
GLOSSARY
A Fig tree. {Ficus religiosa).
A flea.
A tree called the Alexandrian laurel
{Calophyllum inophyllum).
Worship.
Circumlocution.
A minister.
Salutation.
Lord of Life, a term for husband.
O Dear.
Ganesha, the God of Learning.
A flower.
Turmeric.
Chabuthra — Raised seats before a
Hindu house.
R
A king.
A swan.
Indrani or a chief queen among women.
An ogre.
Do.
... An ogress.
A celestial dancer.
A queen.
Bodice of a Hindu woman.
An Indian coin worth Is. ^d. in value.
S
A sage.
. . A guru.
... A drummer.
.. Evening.
. . The Saturn or the God of Misfortunes.
Ornament.
The [Hindu] Goddess or Patroness of
Learning.
.. A Hindu woman’s dress.
GLOSSARY
217
Sava ser
An Indian weight of 2i lbs.
Ser, H.
An Indian weight of 2 lbs.
Shastra, S.
Science.
Siromani, M.
... Chief.
Sloka, T.
Stanza.
Sohanatfij T.
Nuptial ceremony.
Surwa, T.
Brass pot for water.
Surwaganta, T.
Chief or victory bell in a temple,
SuryanarSyana, T.
... The Sun God.
Sxvamindtdh^, T.
... Tlie Lord God,
T
Tahsildar, T.
Holder of a Talisil. An officer in
charge of a Tahsil.
Talar iwadu^ 'V.
A petty officer in a village. •
Tamdsha, H.
Fun.
Thalanihraloo^ 'L\ .
Chief ceremony in a Hindu marriage.
Tilaha, :\I.
... Caste or sectarian mark on the fore-
head.
Tillottama, T.
One of the celestial dancers.
Toddloo, T.
Silver ornaments for women's feet.
Tola, H.
... An Indian weight (one eightieth of a
ser)
IJ
Urwasi, S.
One of the celestial dancers.
Uththa, T.
Mother-in-law.
V
VdhandSf S.
Carriers.
Vaisakh S.
... Summer. Second Hindu month corres-
ponding to English May.
Vctkudatham, T.
A pledge or promise by the mouth.
V dnaprastha, S.
A dweller in a torest.
Vara, T.
... A silver coin worth Rs. 3^ in value.
Vctrandshi, S.
Kashi or Benaresi the sacred city of
>1
the Hindus.
Vastra, S.
... Cloth.
Vedas, S. ’
28
Hindu religious books.
GLOSSARY
216
VigrUha, S.
VishnUi S.
Vishwakarma, S.
Yama, S.
Zamindar, H.
Image.
One of the Gods of the Hindu Triad.
The Architect of the Gods.
Y
The God of Death. The Indian Pluto-
Z
A landlord.
H. stands for Hindi ; Hin. for Hindustani ; M. for Maratti ;
S. for Sanskrit ; T. for Telugu ; Tam. for Tamil.
Note.— Words for which fuller explanations are required, or
words not found in the Glossary please refer to Notes.
INDEX
A
Accomplishments— Horse-riding by
a prince and princess, 154
^sop’s Fables, reference to, Pre-
face, viii
Affinity, (existing from the pre-
vious birth) between a horse and
a princess. 32 ; note, page 184
Agni and Varuna (Story of), 143
Alms asked of a morning in the
first house, if not obtained, would
not be obtained anywhere that
day, a superstition, 96
Ammavdru, the goddess of small-
pox, 1
Animals, referred to, bullocks, 47 ;
sea-dogs, 47 ; ass, 50 ; horse, 51,
54 ; ape, 53 ; monkey, 52, 172 ;
tiger, 53; -ape, 53; bear, 53;
panther, 53 ; State elephant, 54 ;
camel, 56 ; ass, a (carrier)
of Kabeerdass, 100 ; hare, 116 ;
jackals, 117 ; dog, 142 ; elephant,
142 ; bull, 143 ; rats, 145 ; cats,
145 ; dog, faithful, 146 ; conten-
tion among (tiger and ass) as to
who is greater, 160 ; goat, 171.
Animal sacrifices, a goddess exact-
ing a promise not to stand in the
way of devotees offering, 129
Anjanayuloo, the monkey god, note,
page 197
Ape, 52
Arms— axe, 125 ; arrows, 158
Arti, the waving of lamps, 54 ; note,
page 185
Aryavarta, the land of, referred to,
40
Ashes, mixed with flour, 17
Ass, a vahana (carrier) of Kabeer-
dass, 100 ; the tiger and the
(Story of), 160
Astrologer, referred to, 172
Auspicious numbers, seven 13, 29,
38, 52, 57, 93, three, 120
Auspiciousness, greenness, a sign
of, 1^
Austerities, practice of, for obtain-
ing progeny, 154
Axe, the Khadira Tree and the
(Story of), 125
B
Baidars, the country of, referred to,
135
Baki Bhulamoodo, a Telugu hero,
identified with Raja Rasaloo, vi
Bangle seller, 95 ; note, page 193
Banquet, all must be present in a
man, woman, and child, and new
born babe, so as to find out
whether any one was missed, 195
Barbers, two (Story of), 89; qua-
lifications of, 89 : cruelty of, 90 ;
tricky, 113 ; the King and the
Selfish, (Story of), 127 ; the King
and the (Story of) , 133
Bath, a man to have a weekly,
reversed, 143 ; nulghu 104 ; note,
page 196
Bear, 53,
Beasts, language of, to understand,
a qualification, 37 ; language of
(jackals), 118
Beauty obtained by eating one who
is beautiful, a Rakshashi idea,
93
Beedas, 97 ; note, page 193
Beggar and the Tactless Charitable
Lady (Story of), 168
Benares (Varanashi, Kashi), the
sacred city of the Hindus, 138 ;
note, page 205
Ber (the jujubei) Tree, The Voung
Man, the Police Official and the
(Story of), 115 ; not to be planted
in front of a house, 115
Bhagavatam players, 106 ; note,
page 196
Bharatvarsha (Bharatbhumi ,
Aryavarta), India, 41
Bidpai (Pilpay), fable writer, refer-
red to, V
Bilgrami Shums-ul Ulama Syed
Ali, the eminent Sanskritist,
referred to, viii
Birds— white crows, 27 ; as carriers
kind 29 ; Chakwa chakwi, 33 ;
cranes 35 ; crows, 51, 113 ; Bun-
garipittaloo, 76; peacocks,
{Navlipitta), bulbul (Piglipitta) ,
123 ; Rajahansa, 138 ; doves, 141 ;
cocks, 142 ; patrots, 186
220
INDEX
Blessing, a mother's strange, 36
Bluestocking. The Taming of the
(Story of) , 6
Body dead, not to be cremated or
buried but put in a glass case, 94
Boon, 60, 99. 129, 140
Brahma, one of the Adimoor-
thooloo^ takes the form of a crab,
167 ; not to have temples, footnote
on page 167
Brahmin, the Tiger and the Ass
Story of), 49 ; Oilman and the
Story of), 103 ; The Faulty
(Story of), 138; The Goldsmith
the Image of Gold and the, 153
Branding (a sort of punishment),
self-indicted, 114
Brother, nobility of, 3 ; love of a,
for his sister, 95 ; extreme enmity
of, 146
Bug, Story of the Pishoo (flea) and
the, 176 ; note, page 209
Bulbul, Madras {Mol pastes hamor-
hons), Piglifiilta, 125] note, page
201
Bull, God sent out a, to make
certain declarations, 143.
Bullocks, referred to, 47
Btmgaripittaloo or golden birds, 76;
note, page 190
Burial, a dead body not to be given
a, but put in a glass case, 94
C
Camels, 56
Calumniated princess a, 3
Caste, How Englishmen lost their,
141
Cat, an agent of a courtesan for
aiding her in winning on pacheesee
board, 145
Cenotaph with inscription thereon
to a devoted wife, 123. 124
Centipedes, 146
Ceremonies— , garbavdsi,
40 ; nuptial or sobanam, 40 ; coro-
nating a king by an elephant, 77-8
Chantars, a section of the depressed
classes, 141
Charity, a kingdom saved from
being invaded by, 20 ; a maid-
servant made a queen on account
of her, 20 ; uncooked rice in, 103 ;
loss of merit of, an instance, 168 ;
The Tactless Charitable Lady and
the Beggar, (Story of) , 168
Chastity, prayer to Ishwara for pre-
servation of, 43 ; a woman's
stratagem to preserve her, 172
Chess, reference to, 13 ; horses as
wager in a game of, 131
Children, Dead, The Princess, Her
Husband and their (Story of), 173
Chola queen and king, reference to,
179-80 ; note, page 210
Circumambulation about a
temple, 99
Clay-eating, 165
Clothes, rending of, a sign o f
extreme disgust or discontent, 5
Cock, 142
Companion, suitable to princess, 42
Computation, of height of water
(Indian), 76 ; of time by God and
man contrasted, 80 ; gold as large
as a hen’s egg a.. 127
Consanguinity— marriage with one s
.sister's daughter among the
Dravidian Telugus, 172
Contention between Agni and
Varuna as to who is greater, 143 ;
Contention among animals (tiger
and ass) as to who greater, 160
Contrivance to put in mind of a
thing — Needle stuck in a towel a,
32
Conveyance— Palanquin, 180
Coronation of a king by an ele-
phant, 77-8
Cot, sleeping underneath a high,
an expedient to be ever near a
friend, 59
Counterfeit coins, 57
Courageous young man, a (The
Young Man and Hazari Lai of
Baidars' Daughter), 135
Court, Regularly constituted 105 ;
State, 105
Courtesan, faithful, a, 147
Cranes, 35
Cremation, a dead body not to be
given a, but put in a glass case,
94
Cries for alms, 96
Crop, bumper, of wheat, 110
Crow, The, and Its Ninety Eggs,
(Story of), 51; white, grateful and
kind, 87 ; brands itself and com-
mits suicide, 114 ; names of the
young ones of a, 114
Cumulative rhymes, 149
Curses— Kalidass to die at the hands
of prostitutes, 68 ; a prostitute's
throwing of three handfuls of
earth before the sun, 104; Brahma
not to have temples, page 168 and
footnote thereon ; ^ogli flower
and lime to be disoarded in
worship, 168 ; note, page 197
INDEX
221
1 )
Dathams, the three, 1Q7 ; note, page
197
Daughters, dishonour of, 98
Daughter-in-law, bad treatment of,
by a mother-in-law, 35 ; boon
conferred on a, 99 ; duty of, to
fetch water from the river-bank
in the mornings, 151 ; afraid of
mother-in-law, 167
Day, the Rev. Lall Behari, author
of Folktales of Bengal : Bengal
Peasant Life^ foot note, on page
52
Dead body to be put in a glass case
and suspended to a tree, 94
Death, from sheer fright, 124 ;
cannot be averted, 134
Decree, strange, of a king, 98
Deception in pacheese, 145
Decision, queer, on a woman for a
thing lost, 43
Degradation by being beaten with
a shoe, 135
Deities— The thousand-ej’ed mother,
1 ; Pilli-ummah, 126 ; Agni and
Varuna, 143 ; Ishwara, Kothanda-
pany, 175
Depredation of a melon field by
jackals, 117
Depressed classes, the, 114
Derwish, a king renounces a king-
dom and becomes a, 112
Despotism of a king, 98
Destiny, writer of, 70 ; cannot be
averted, 71 ; Brahma's writing of,
on the forehead, 88
Devatagana, 122 ; note, page 200
Devices, a short-man’s, to get
jackals drowned, 120
Dharma Shasira, breaches of, 67
DkerSf a section of the depressed
d2iss0s
Dhobi’s Ghat, 54 ; note, page 186
Direction, forbidden, 13
Diseases, venereal, 98 ; Leucoderma,
170
Disguises— of a rani as a gosain,
33 ; of a prince as a thief, 36
Dishonour, marks of, 108, 115
Distance, retreating a long, in the
twinkling of an eye, a charac-
teristic of yie ogres, 21
Distinguishing a human being from
a celestial being, 87
Dog, faithful^ 146
Doves, referred to, 141
Dreams, truthfulness of, 31
Dress— Female’s : a sari and ravikay
of white lilies, 86 ; male’s : pancha
or dhoti ; silk-bordered dhoti, 105 ;
jeribattalu t 84
Drink, talks under the influence of.
112
Drunkard, the attitude of a, 51
Dung, of chakzva chakwi birds, as
medicine, 34
Duties, heart-rending, to be per-
formed by an husband, 174
Elephant, a state, covered with
spots, an indirect result of the
.sinfulness of women, 54 ; coronat-
ing a king, 77-8 ; white, from
heaven, 86, 144
Emerald, referred to, 156
Emotions— anger, 60; indignation,
98, 116 ; fright, fear, 136
Englishmen— (1) How they got the
best boons conferred on them,
140 ; (2) How they were deluded
and lost their caste, 141
Ethnology— Dhobi, 56; the shoe-
maker’s girl, 77
Etiquette, Indian : the offer of water
and a wooden seat to a guest on
arrival, 139
Evi]-eye, 31 ; note page 184
Evil hour averted by the wise
precaution of a king, 173
Evil spirits, going away from men
to a distance of fifty yards 22 ;
taking the form of beautiful
women and inveigh ling men and
causing their destruction, an
opinion held of, 71
Evil for good, an instance of,
84
Exclamations— aiya, 55 ; amma
aifwia, 55 ; Bhagatmaya, 76 ;
Hari- Shiva, 76 ; note, page 186
Executioners, kind, 25
Expedients— sleeping underneath a
high cot so as not to lose sight
of a married friend, 59 ; ears
of corn thrown on the track
to find way back, 93 ; banquet
given to all, man, woman, and
child (including new-born infant)
thereby compelling their presence
to find out a soul whose presence
was highly desired, 179
Eyes, doe’s, passed off for human
eyes, 25 ; restoration of, by
medicinal leaves, 148
222
INDEX
F
Fable, India the home of the, v
Fairy, The Self-sacrificing, (Story
of) 13 ; the youngest self-sacri-
ficing and sympathetic, the elders
of vicious intents, 14 ; (Story
of) the Seven Princes and the
(Fairies), 120 ; saves life losing
her own, 122 ; (Story of) the
Woodseller and the Seven
(Fairies), 130
Faith of a simpleton rewarded, an
instance cf, 175
Fakeer’s Daughter and the Wicked
Queen (Story of the), 96
Famine, referred to, 110
Fashions— a rattling pair of shoeS;
56 ; vankarakurra , 105 ; note,
page 197
Fate, the writing of, on the forehead
cannot be averted, 71 ; submission
to, 83 ; belief in, 154
Fear, shown by a psychological
effect of easing in garment’, 136 ;
a cat and a dog killed with the
intent to strike, 136
Fingers, filliping of, a sign of joy,
105
Fire, origin of, in black rocks, 143
Fireworks, referred to, 95, 133
Flood, 41, 169
Flowers— Ponna(Alexandrian laurel)
[calophyllum inophyllum) , 52 ;
the parijataka (Erythrina ful-
geus), 157; the Mogli {Pandanus
odoratissimus) f 168; note, page 206
Fly, The, Who Forgot Her Name
(Story of), 149
Food, partaking of, before her hus-
band took, an un wifely act, 56 ;
note, page 187 ; the first and
second morsels of, to be put away,
171
Foot, right, placing of, on the
doorstep, boding ill, 94
Fop, The Old Woman and the,
(Story of), 170
Forbidden direction, 13
Fowl, The Man and the Neighbour’s,
(Story of), 169
Fowl Curry, the Woman, and Her
Husband (Story of), 168
Friends, the Two (Story of), 59
Friendship, of a carpenter’s son, a
kotwal’s son, a minister's son and
a king's son, 21 ; of a minister's
son and a king's son, 59 ; with a
policeman interdicted, 115
Fright causing death, an instance
of, 125
Fruits— melon, 117 ; lemon discard-
ed in worship, 168
Funereal pyre, jumping into the, 41
Ct
Games— chess, 133 ; pacheesee^ 144
Ganesha, a factor in the disappear-
^ ance of pearls in a temple, 42, 45
Ganges, the river, a cleansing
agency, 138 ; oath taken on, or on
its water or with its water in the
hand, binding, 139
Garbadhdn or Garbavdsi ceremony,
^ 40, 121, 159
Gems, precious— rubies, 26 ; eme-
rald, 154-6
Gift wonderful, of a girl, 99; of the
Zemindar’s daughter, 150
Girl, The, of the Woodlands, Her
Brothers and the Rakshasa (Story
of), 93
Girl, The, Lingaand the Wonderful
Gift (Story of), 99
Goat, the Monkey and the Work
man (Story of the), 171
God, takes the form of a dog, 39 ;
Ganesa, 42, 44 ; Yama or Indian
Pluto, 77 ; Brahma, 83 ; Surya-
narayana or Sun-god, 107 ; Pillai-
yarSwami (Ganesa), 118; Varuna,
123 ; Agni, 123 ; confers boon,
140; takes a bath early in the
morning, footnote, page 141 ; sent
a dog and a cock to find out how
much of the world was created,
142 ; sends an elephant to find out
what has become of the dog and
the cock, 142 ; sends a bull to
make certain declarations, 143 ;
Vishnu, 167 : Ishwara, 175 ;
Kothandapany (Krishna), 175
Goddess— The T h o u s a n d-e y e d
Mother, 1 ; Saraswati, 83 ; Story
of the King and the, 128
Gold, salver of, 55 ; a bit of, as large
as a hen’s egg, 127 ; image of,
152
Goldsmith, the Brahmin and the
Image of Gold (Story of the).
152 ; cunning and crafty, 152
Goodness pays : an ins^^ance of, 108
Gosain, a godsend to a poor boy, 8
Grain, massive lumps of wheat, 110 ;
reference to, 127 ; dried gram, 172
Gram, dried, a factor in the pre-
servation of chastity, 172
INDEX
223
Ground rent, 46
Guru, The, and the Simple-minded
Neatherd (Story of), 175
N
Habits, Indian— looking for lice in
the head, llS
Head shattered to one thousand
pieces for revealing a mystery or
secret, 61, 88
Heat, in the system of a prince, 33 ;
note, page 184
Heaven, translation to, of a
Neathered and £^uru, 175 ; transla-
tion to, of a guru’s disciple, a
queen and a king, 180
Heerammah, M., the author’s wife,
one of the narrators of a story in
the collection, Preface, vi
Hen, fatted, curry of, 167
Himalaya Mountains, the, see
Yamulgiri Parvatam,” 43; note,
page 184
Horse, that neighs in the night, 15
Horse, that neighs in the middle
of the night, 16 ; spirited, 31 ;
referred to, 51, 56 ; black, 131
Hospice-keeper, 144 ; see under
Paidaraisi Peddammah ” also.
Human sacrifice, a goddess asks
for, 128
Hunger, an, expedient to avoid, 73
Husband, and his Selfish Wife
(Story of), 80 ; kind, 79
Huthoolummah, P,, the author’s
sister, one of the narrators of a
story in the collection, Preface, vi
1
Illusion (mdya), 76, 100
Illumination, referred to, 95
Inanimate object (a wall) as a
vahana or carrier, 100
Incantation— formation of myriads
of serpents and centipedes, 158
Incense— frankincense, 28 ; bdel-
lium, 132
Incest, 71
India, the home of the falble, refer-
red to, v
Indian Antiquary ^ a journal devoted
to folklore^ numismatics, archeo-
logy, geography, etc., published
at Bombay, referred to, vii _
Indian cerenfonies— Garbadhan or
Garbavasi, 40, 59, 60, 121, 159
Indignity of people on their
daughters’ dishonourment, 98
Indra, court of, referred to, 142
Injunction, a father’s on his son,
115
Insects— ants, 35 ; mosquito, 75 ;
lice, 118; centipedes, pis /lOO,
(fiea), 176 ; bugs, 176
Interpretation of things being always
two, one a good one, and the other
a bad one. a story illustrating
the world’s, 111
Intimidation, 99
Ishwara, 167, 175
Isolation, a remedy for the preserva-
tion of woman’s virtue, refuted,
91
J
Jackals, The Melon-Planter and the
(Story of), 117
Jangamaya or Jaugama— A Linga-
yath or Shaivite beggar, 53 ; note,
page 185
Jatakas — Buddhist birth-stories,
referred to, Preface, v
Jholai-^K bag hung to the
shoulder of the /angama, 53; note,
page 185
Joke, cutting a, a cause of death,
124
K
Kabeerdass, (Story of), and Kali-
dass, 100 ; ass, a carrier {vahana)
of, 100
Kaikeyi, the wily wife of King
Dasaratha, referred to, 106 ; note,
page 206
Kalidass, (the Shakespeare of India)
(Story of), 67 ; (Story of), and
kabeerdass, 100
Kalikadevi or Kali grants a boon
or confers a gift, 61, 68
Kashi (Benares or Varanashi), the
sacred city of the Hindus, referred
to, 138
Kashmir, Kasyapabumi ^ the sweet
vale, referred to, 43
Kashyapa, the Land of (Kashmir)
referred to, 43
Keer, a sweet Indian dish, 96
King, uncharitable, 19 ; makes a
servant-maid his queen, 20 •
uxorious and ungrateful, 40 ;
the State Elephant, the, and the
Chaste Laundress (Story of), 54 ;
repentance of a, for incest^ 72 ;
224
INDEX
the sensuous, 98 ; promise of, not
to be sensuous as in the first part
of his life, 99 ; the, and the
Three Old Men (Story of), 109 ;
the, and the Shepherd (Story of),
111 ; the, and the Dervish, (Story
of), 112 ; renounces a kingdom,
112 ; more than a match for the
barber, 113 ; the, and the Selfish
Barber (Story of), 127 ; the, and
The Resourceful Chaste Woman,
172 ; the, the Queen and the
Evil Hour (Story of), 172
King’s son’s friendship with the
minister’s son, 59
Kingdom, promise of half a, to a
Pativrata, 54 ; worth a trifle, 112
Knowledge, the 64 Departments of
(Chatushastakala), referred to, 6
Kothandapani (Krishna, the God),
175
Kubera, the God of Wealth, 108
L
Lady, The Sensible, and the Foolish
Mendicant (Story of), 64
Lame Man and the Blind Man (Story
of), 169
Lamps, the waving of, 54 ; see note
under arti^ page 185
Language, the, of birds, referred to,
33 ; of beasts, referred to, 37 ; the
difficult nature of the Turanian,
and its interdiction in the king’s
patashalas 64
Lanka, burning of, referred to,
104 ; or pyrotechnic display, 133 ;
note, page 204
Learning, the gift of, to Kalidass by
the goddess Kali, 68
Leaves, medicinal, for restoration
of sight, 144 [Bel (sgleniarmelos)
Legerdemain, feats of, referred to
180
Lendrum, the Rev. John, of the
F. C. Mission, Professor of Philo-
sophy, Hislop College, Nagpore,
C. P., referred to. v
Leuooderraa, The Family and the
(Story of), 170
Levdees^ An Indian sweetmeat, 130 ;
note, page 203
Lice, looking, for, in a woman’s
head, a habit, 115
Life is dear : how a lame man and a
bligd man saved their lives during
a flood, 170
Life-tokens in a parrot, 29 ; in a
carcanet of jewels, 97
Life, resuscitation of, 95, 147 ; dura-
tion of, in the case of children
attributable to debt they owe
their parents in their past life,
174 ; general note, page 208
Lilliputian, the, and His Field
(Story of), 141
Lily plant grown on a s n a k e’s
remains, 3
Lime discarded in worship for play-
ing the role of a liar, 168
Linga, the phallic, 99
Linguist, the Learned (Story of), 63
Lives,. the ingenuity of a lame man
and a blind man to save their,
(The Story of the Lame Man and
the Blind Man), 170
Longevity, instances of, 110, 111
Loss to be recompensed in a shame-
ful manner, a queen’s queer idea,
43
Lover, an irate, 116
Loyalty, strange, of a robber, 70
LuddoOy an Indian sweetmeat, 130 ;
note, page 203
Lying, the result of— Brahma not to
have temples, the Mogli flower
and lime to be discarded in
worship, 168
M
Mahdbharata^ referred to, 104
Mahesh, one of the Adimoorthoo-
loos^ 167 ; takes the form of a
bandicoot, 167
Magic feathers, 28 ; -sword, 85 ;
-katika or collyrium, 85 ; -hair,
132 ; -pebbles, 145 ; -rattans,
153
Maid-servant, saves a kingdom
(indirectly) from being invaded,
20 ; becomes a queen for her
charity, 21 ; a far seeing, 158
Makeshift — Avoiding a day’s irregu-
larity in meals, 113
Mdldkara, a kind Samaritan, 41 ;
duties of a, 41
Man, contempt of, by a woman, 7 ;
the, and the neighbours fowl, 169 ;
the, and the Snake (Story of), 124
Marriage, strange objections to, 17 ;
second •time, 41 ; arranging of,
being the duty of a teacher or
pundit, 67 ; Gandharwa, 121 ;
note, page 200 [marriage customs]
-rice-oath on the day of, 54; note,
page 155 ; a shoemaker to bring a
pair of shoes for ^the bride and
bridegroom on the day*of , 173
INDEX
225
Marks of dishonour, 108
Marvadis (Jains?), The Legend of
the Nanga Dev or the God of, 74 ;
the Marwadi, His Wife and Gay
Lothaire (Story of), 91
Massage- treatment, referred to, 127
Mdia, the goddess of small-pox, 1
Maya or illusion, referred to, 100
Meal, man to have a weekly,
reversed [Story of God and the
Bull], 143
Medicine, dung of Chakwa-Chakwi
birds, for reducing heat in the
system, 33 ; taking, for getting
off-spring, 134 ; dried tamarinds
dipped in castor oil as purgative,
166
Meditations for thirty-six years, 72-3
Mehtars^ a section of the Depressed
Classes, 141
Melons, 117 ; The Planter of, and
the Jackals (Story of), 117
Men, grow by years, but princes
grow by days, (proverb) 23 ; the
King and the Three Old (Story
of), 109
Mendicant, The F'oolish, and the
Sensible Lady (Story of), 64
Mendicant, The Foolish, 64
Mental labour and physical labour :
a comparison made as to which is
greater, 89
Merchant, an honest and obliging,
130-1
Meru, the mountain, referred to, 21
Metal — gold, a bit of (as large as a
hen’s egg), 127 ; gold image, 152
Metamorphoses, 85
Milkman, the, and the Ramayana,
(Story of), 125 ; a Simpleton, 125
Minister, the able, and the Ungrate-
ful King (Story of), 9
Minister's son, friendship of the,
with the king’s son, 59 ; wife of
the, a chaste lady, 60
Miracle— Bells in a temple ringing
of themselves simultaneously, 179
Mogli flower Pandanus Odoratissi-
mus discarded in worship, 168
Mohwa tree {Bassia lati folia), 51
Monkey, 52; Goat and the Workman
(Story of), 71 ; tricky, 171
Morsels of food, the first and second,
to be put away, 171
Mosquito’s laughter or the very
buzz it maizes in the ear, 75
Mother, the Thousand-Eyed (god-
dess of small -pox), 1 ; old. not
forgotten afld does not drop out
from the story, 133
29
Mother-in-law, cruel treatment of a
daughter^in-law by the, 35-6 ;
outwitted, 81 ; and the Son-in-
Law (Story of), 81
Mountain, Meru, (probably the
Himalaya mountain is meant),
143
Murder, a man’s resourcefulness
to avoid suspicion of, 116
Mushroom, the Origin of (Story of) ,
167 ; why tastes like flesh or fowl
explained, 167
N
Nagnadi or the serpentine river
after which Nagpore takes its
name, referred to, viii
Nagpore, the classic capital of
the Bhonsla kings and the present
capital of the Central Provinces,
referred to, v
Naiwedhya or food offered to the
gods, 19 *
Names (of Indians)— Lakshmaya,
Butchaya, Chittaya, Kautaya,
Varadhaya, Mamaya, Pothaya,
93
Narayanammah, M., the author’s
mother-in-law, one of the narra-
tors of stories in the collection,
referred to, v
Natural scenery, referred to, 14
Nautches, an Indian dancing and
singing entertainment, referred
to, 95
Navlipitta, peacock {Pavo cresta-
fus), 125 ; note, page 201
Nitishastra (the Ethical Code),
referred to, 67 ; to keep fifty paces
a\^ay from an elephant, a precept
in, 77
Nosebiting, a cripple’s revenge on
a princess, 60
Nuptial ceremony, 40, 59, 60
O
Oath— Taking water in the hand, a
ratification of an, 139
Oblation of food offered to the gods
Naiwedhya, 119
Offspring, the practising of auster-
ities and taking medicines for
obtaining, 134
Ogress, retreats a long distance in
the twinkling of an eye, 21 ;
divines human thought, 23 -
226
INDEX
becomes wife to a king. 24 ; steals
a princess, 31 ; punishment to,
for imposition, 31 ; an, person-
ating a beautiful young woman,
121 ; a prince gives battle to an,
145 ; pleased with him gives her
adopted daughter in marriage,
145
Old man, a good, 85
Old men, The Three, and the King,
109
Old woman, walking of an, and
that of a fop contrasted, 170
Ornaments— JoomMloo (g o 1 d),
Todaloo (silver), referred to, 126 ;
Chevvdku or ear- leaf (a bit of
rolled palm-leaf), 180; note, page
209
P
PacheesCy an Indian game, 144
Paidaraloo or Paidaraisi Ped-
dhan^ma, 144, 163
Palace of glass : a contrivance to be
safe from tigers, 134
Palmyra tree, the, 76
Pandit, one of the duties of a, is to
arrange for marriages, 67 ; aspires
to the hand of one whom he
taught, a breach of Dharma-
shastra, 67
Panther, 53
Pdj'ijdtd {Erythrina fulgens), 157 ;
note, page 205
Paris (fairies), 97
Parrot, as a life-token, 29 ; advice
of a, 156
Parwatidevi, the consort of Para-
meshwar, 73
Pativrata. offer of a kingdom to a,
54, 147 ; note, page 185
Peacock, vide Navlipittay 125 ;
note, page 201
Pearl, in the belly of a fish, 9 ;
non-production of, to suffer the
extreme penalty of the law, 11
Pearls, the stringing of, 42, 48 ; a
garland of, 83
Pearl Merchant (Story of the), 46
Penalty, to suffer the extreme, of
the law, for non-production of a
thing, 11
Penances, 72
Penurious Man, the Ill-fated (Story
of), 75
Persecution by a step-mother, 2 ; of
a sister-in-law, 165
Phenomena, a Rajahansa emerges
out of water as a girl, 139
Piglipitta (the Madras bulbul), the
Navlipitta and, (Story of), 123;
note, page 201
Pillayar Swami (Ganesa), 118
Pilli-ummah, a local deity (Grama
devata), 126
Pilpai (Bidpai), the fable writer,
referred to, v
Pipal tree, the, 85
Pishoo, the, and the Bug, (Story of),
176
Pitambar, a valuable 55, note,
page 186
Pleasiire, (carnal) indulgence in,
sparingly, leads to longevity,
110
Pleasures, the eight, 99 ; note, page
195
Poetry, recitation of original : a
reward of a princess* hand
for, 7 .
Police official, friendship with a,
interdicted, 115
Ponna flowers, Alexandrian laurel
Calophylliim inophyllumy 52
Prayer for speech, 27 ; prayer for
preservation of chastity, 43
Prediction of astrologers fulfilled,
134
Presents from outsiders to be
accepted by a wife after due per-
mission from husband, 56
Prevarication, a prince’s, and com-
mitting mischief for no good, 154
Price, fabulous, for a fish, 155
Pride, the five iron pegs to arrest,
66
Prince, traowsformed into a snake
and vice versa y 6 ; with a horse-
covering, 32 ; in the disguise of a
thief, 37 ; as water-carrier in a
courtesan’s garden, 144 ; the.
Medicinal Leaves and the Muhurta
(Story of), 144 ; high daring of a,
163
Princes, the vSeven, and the Fairies
(Story of), 120
Princess, resolution of a, to wed the
man who composes original
verses, 7 ; commits suicide, . 7 ;
married to a horse, 32 ; resolution
of a, to wed the man who would
do her bidding under the most
trying circumstances, 173
Proclamation of a, princess to
marry one who composes original
verses, 7 ; proclamation of a king
to offer half of his Jcingdom to a
Pativratay 54 ; proclamation of a
princess to marry one who does
INDEX
227
her bidding under the most trying
circumstances, 173
Promises, solemn, to give children
in marriage 82 ; dathams not to be
violated, 107 ; note, page 197
Prophecy, the king’s son, and the
fulfilment of a, 134.
Prostitute, the, boisterous, 79 ; 'L'he
Brahmin, the Oilman and the
(Story of), 103 ; tricky and faithful,
144, 147
Prostration at feet, 30, 3fi
Proverbs— (1) Men grow by years
but princes grow by days, 23 ;
(2) Boodhdhi voonnavddiki yed-
dhtUaidhu, Ycddhu voonnavddiki
booddhilaidhu ^ 69; (3) Goontd pilla
yentd kadupn, 174 ; note, page
208
Public insult, shaving of the head
as a, 42 ; branding as a, 114
Punishment, for the non -production
of a thing, 11 ; for imposition, 33 ;
of mange, 38 ; shaving of the
head of a woman and placing a
lamp on the head, as if it is a lamp-
stand, being forms of, 42 ; head
shattered to pieces, a, 61 ; for
having lusteth after a woman, G4 ;
beating with cheepoorloo and
chdtaloo, and looking down upon,
a, 79
Pyrotechnic display (Lanka), 95 ;
Tarajole or Taramandal ^ Sursur-
butteeSf tnahtabs (red, green and
white lights), Chhichbo odloo
(flower-pots), Nagmodis (Pha-
roah ’ s serpents) , Catherine
wheels, Roman candles, rockets,
little balloons and quibs, 133 ;
note, page 204
y
Qualification of thieves, 37 ; qualifi-
cation of a barber, 90
Queen, inhumane treatment by
a, 42-3 : The Fakeer’s Daughter
and the Wicked, (Story of), 96 ;
the jealousy of a, 96 ; pays the
extreme penalty of the law for her
crime, 96-8; the King, the, and
the Evil Hour (Story of), 172 the,
Queen, the chief, ordered to be
beheaded on a false charge of
subsisting on beasts, 25
Queer deciiion, 43
Quest, "in, of an emerald, 156 ; in,
of a Pdrijdia flower, 157
R
Racial qualities not deficient in a
princess brought up by a rdksha-
sha, 123
Rakshasha, The Girl of the Wood-
lands, Her Brothers and the
jStory of), 93
Rakshasha gana or class opposed to
Devata gana, 122 ; note, page 200
Ramagiri, the present Ramtek, a
place of pilgrimage twenty miles
from Nagpore, C. P., referred
to, V
Ramayana, the epic story referred
to, 104 ; reference to certain cantos
of, 104 ; the Milkman and the,
(Story of) 125
Rambha, a dancer at the court of
Indra, 83
Ramtek, the old Ramagiri or Ram-
tinci taken note of in Meghadutha,
referred to, v
Rasaloo, Raja, the Punjaub hero
identified with Baki Bulamoodoo
of Telugu stories, vi
Rat, the nuisance of, 69 ; a factor
for a prince to win a game in
Pacheese, 145
Recluse, the True (Story of), 72
Recognition after twelve years, a
qualification, 37
Renunciation, a king’s, of
kingdom, 112 ; a princess', of the
world, 175
Reptiles— Scorpions, serpents, and
centipedes, 146
Responsibility of a kingdom, saddl-
. ing with the, a panacea for
checking the adventurous spirit
of a prince, 165
Resuscitation of life, 95, 147
Retreating a tolerably long distance
in the twinkling of an eye, a
characteristic of the ogress, 21
Rhymes, cumulative, 149
Rice., uncooked or husked in charity,
103 ; doles of, 107 ; note, page
197
Rice-oath on the Hindu wedding
day, 54 ; note, page 185
Kx^dlQs^Kuthalunni yatha Idyai,
116
Riding, a fop’s and an old woman’s
walk, contrtisted, 170
Ring as a recognizing agency | 34
Robbers, qualifications of, 37 ;
loyalty of, 70
Robes, saffron, 134 ; note, page 204
328
INbEX
s
Sacrifice, self-, of a fairy, 14 ;
human, 128-9 ; why only animal
is now offered as, 130
Sadabarth, 26 ; note, page 183
Sadhu, The Bhagatmaya (Story of),
76
Sage, the, and, the Would-be Mother
(Story of) , 62
Sandalwood, 48 ; tree, 93, 97
Sani—'TYie God of Ill-luck (Saturn),
75
Saraswati^Ttiii Goddess of Learn-
ing, referred to, 83
woman’s dress, 108 ; pulling
aside of, a mark of dishonour,
108
Sdth&nees, 176 ; note, page 209
Sati ceremonies, 41
Scorpion, 146
Secret not to be revealed, 85, 88,
100
Sect, Ramanuja, referred to, 176 ;
note, under ‘ Sathanees\ page 209
Secunderabad, the military station
in the Deccan, referred to, v
Serpents, 146 ; vide snakes 3, 5, 124
Servants, faithless, 163
Servant-maid becomes a queen, 20
Shakespeare of India (Kalidass),
Telugu version of the story of the,
67
Shepherd, The King and the (Story
of), 111
Shoes, a rattling pair of, wearing
of, a fashion, 52
Shoemaker’s girl, becomes the wife
of a Sadhu and queen, her son
a Vizier, 79
Simpleton, gollavddu (milkman) a,
123 ; the neatherd a, 175
Sinfulness of women, a State ele-
phant covered over with spots,
an indirect result of the, 54
Sister, ardent love of a, for her
brother, 5
Sister-in-law, persecution of a, 165
Sleeping underneath a high cot, an
expedient, 59
Slings, reference to, 26
Snake, a lily plant grows on the
remains of a, 3 ; a, re-transformed
into a prince, 5 ; the Man and
the (Story of), 124r; the number
and varieties of Indian snakes
referred to, 124
Sobanam ceremony, 40
Society, low state of, 43
Son-in-law a, outwits his mother-in-
law, 81
Songs, dulcet, of parentaloo in
chorus (bridal songs), 160
Soul, hanging to a tree, 94 ; passing
of the, 94, 151 ; of a sympathetic
fairy (princesfi) speaks, 121 ; hovers
about the house-eaves, 151
Speech, prayer to God for, 27
Spots, elephant covered over with,
, an indication that the sinfulness
of women is rampant, 54
States, Native, referred to, 105
Stipulation— of a princess that she
would confer her hand on one
who composes original verses,
35 ; of a rich man's daughter
to marry the man who receives
five smacks, with a shoe every
da 5 ', 135 : of a courtesan to
become the wife of one who wins
her in pacheesee, 144 ; of a
princess who would do her bid-
ding under the most trying
circumstances, 173 ; of a minis-
ter’s daughter to leave her father-
in-law’s house at 6 p.m. and
return at 6 a.m., 184
Story, the end of a— the narrators
getting of a present in imagina-
tion, 95, 165 ; reference to ex-
ternal circumstances at the end of
a, 203
Stories, the migration or travel of,
without being lost and their
becoming suited to the mode of
thought of the alien people to
which they have travelled or
migrated, vi
Stratagem, of an old woman to
avoid suspicion or detection, 58 ;
of subjects to avoid dishonour of
their daughters, 98 ; of a woman
to preserve her chastity, 172
Submission, abject— falling at feet,
159
Suicide, a crow commits, 114
Superiority, a discussion between
Agni and Varuna with reference
to, 143
Superstition— What is asked must
. be parted with or else it would be
lost or destroyed, 31
Sutwi (Destiny-writer), 70
Sweetmeat Indian— 130 ;
luddoos^ 131 ; note, page 203
S-wynnerton’s Indian Nights Enter-
tainments, referred tq, viii
Sympathy, extreme, of la fairy,
123
iiJDEX
T
Tsiboo-^Mogli flower and lime dis-
carded in worship, 168
Tahsildarsi small revenue officer
of a sub-district (tahsili), referred
to, 151
Tailor, proverbs ot—Buddhi vun-
nadi yeddhu laidhu 6fl
Taming, of the Blue-Stocking
(Story of the), 6 ; of a wife, 136-7
Tasks, 35
Teacher, aspiring to the hand of a
scholar he taught ; a breach of
Dharmashastra, 67 ; one of the
duties of a, is to arrange
marriages of parties, 67
Temple, Sir Richard Carnac,
Editor of the Indian Antiquary,
referred to, viii
Test for catching a thief (The
Man and the Neighbour’s Fowl),
169
Theft of a prince from the nursery
of a palace, 123
Ticks— lice, 1
Tiger, 53 ; and the Ass (Story of
the), 160
Time, a computation of, by God
and man explained, 80
Tit for tat or payment in one’s coin
illustrated, 108
Torri gavva [Cypra vioneta), 106 ;
note, page 196
Trades— 41 ; shoemaker,
77-; prostitute, 79 ; bangleseller,
95 ; woman juggler, 178
Transformation, into a snake and
vice versa, 3, 6 ; man into a bird,
28 ; man into a fly, 85 ; deer into
a kanyaka, 120 ; woman into a
paddy sheaf, 157
Translation to heaven, of a neatherd
and a guru 175 ; of a queen and
others, 180
Treatment, inhumane, 42, 43
Trees— Mohwa {Bassia latifolia),
51 ; palmyra, 76 ; sandalwood,
93, 97 ; Ber (the Indian jujube),
115 ; Khadira (Acacia catechu),
125 ; note, page 201
Trick, shabby, to get rid of doves,
141
Truthf ulnessi of a dream, 31
Turban, throwing of, on the
ground, a sign of extreme disgust
and disconlent, 14 ; coming to
the grcyund, a dishonour, 115 ;
laced, referred to, 170
U
Unchaste woman, the, 116
Understanding of matters by the
world different, one man under-
standing one thing, another,
another thing, 111
Unwifely act— partaking of food
before her husband partook an, 56
V
Vadavanala, a mythological person,
vide note, page 184
Vaisakh, the hottest month of the
Hindu year corresponding to
the English month of May,
referred to, 105
Vanina, Agni and (Story of), 143
Venereal diseases, a king’s suffering
from, referred to, 98
Vishnu, one of the Adimoorthooloo
(primal Gods) in the form of a
boar, 167
Vishnu Sharma, the author of
Fanchatantra, referred to, Pre-
face, V
Visions— a pile of cakes shields a
king, 20 ; a Rajahansa swan
emerges from water as a girl, 139
Vows— of a minister’s son’s wife to
sacrifice an arm, 61; of a king
not to be sensuous as in the first
part of his life, 99
W
Wager, filling a tank with rubies,
filling a tank with pearls, 26 ;
with reference to fish, 156
Walking of an old woman and
riding of a fop contrasted, 170
Washerman, a satisfied, who ate
food pleasant to the taste and
wore clothing pleasant to the
eye, 151
Washerwoman, chaste, 55; a
Brahmin in love with a, 138 ;
note, page 185
Watch by turns during nights for
safety, 21
Water, offering of, to wash hands
and feet with : an Hindu etiquette
to one who comes to a house,
139
Weaver, the Deceitful (Story of),
126
230
INDEX
What is asked must be parted with
as otherwise it would be lost or
destroyed : a superstition, 31 •
note, page 184
Wheat, ears of, thrown along the
track, an expedient to find way
back, 93 ; massive lumps of, 110
White elephant from heaven 86
Wife, love of, centred on the hus«
band after the birth of the first
born, 5 ; faithful, 33 ; as torch-
bearer, 36 ; treacherous and
false, 62 ; discarding of, by
Kalidass on consideration of her
having become a mother because
of the gift of learning had come
to him through her device, 68 ;
selfish, 80; strange conditions of a
would be, 85, 135, 174 ; unchaste,
116 ; cenotaph with inscription
thereon to a devoted, 123-24 ;
taming of a, 135-7 ; the youngest,
of the prince the best, brave and
kind, 148 ; influence of, to make
her husband a party to her guilt,
169.
Wife-beating with a tamarind shoot,
81
Wine, the origin of, vide The Story
of the Brahmin, the Tiger and
the Ass, 49
Wives, duality of, a nuisance, 127
Woman, pertinacity, the nature of,
33, 83 ; to serve as a lamp-stand,
42 ; to become a mistress for a
thing lost, 43 ; the old, of the
sugar cane fields (Story of) , 45 ;
sinfulness of, 54 ; deceived by
false persuasion, referred to, 54 ;
unchaste, 116 ; bemoaning of, to
have been born a tree, 122 ;
chaste, faithful, resuscitates hef
husband, 144 ; cajoling tricks of,
referred to, 160 ; the Old, and
the Fop, Story of, 170 ; stratagem
of a, to preserve her chastity, 172
Women’s garment— jarz, reference
to, 108
Wonder and surprise, finger placed
on the nose, an expression of, 150
Woodseller, the, and the Seven
Faires (Story of), 130
Words, mysterious, the potency of,
68
Workman, the Monkey, the Goat,
and the (Story of), 171
Y
Yama, the Indian Pluto, referred
to, 77
Yamulgiri Farvatam (Himalaya
mountains), 43 ; note, page 184
Young Man, the Police Official and
the B^r Tree, Story of the, 115 ;
the, and Hazari Lai of Baidars’
Daughter, (Story of), 135
Younger sister, the sisters grudge
against their, 52
Youngest daughter-in-law, the
possessor of a wonderful gift that
of knowing the passing of souls
of men, 150
Youngest sister-in-law of a prince
always kind to her sister-in-law
(her husband’s sister), 165
Z
Zone, danger— fifty paces from the
elephant, a, to be avoided, 77
WORKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Life of M. Nagloo. (Maidara Nagaya) The Father of Hotel
Enterprise in the Central Provinces, pp. 3 -h 200, G. Kushal-
doss. Printers, Hyderabad, Deccan, 1908. 100 copies (47 lost in
the Moosi flood).
The Story of Bobbili [as handed down traditionally through
ministrels] . With a foreword by Prof. Jadunath Sarkar, M.A.
(Premchand Roychand Student) of the Patna College, pp. xxxv
+ 128, Cheekoti Veerannah & Sons, Government Printers,
Secunderabad, Deccan 1912. 100 copies (lost).
Tulsemmah and Nagaya ; or Folk-stories from India. With a
foreword by Prof. James Bremner, M.A. of the Hislop College,
Nagpur, C.P., pp. xix -h 167, Methodist Publishing House,
Madras, 1918, 125 copies (burnt).
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS AND HIGH DIGNITARIES
LIFE OF M. NAGLOO
Bengal Government Camp
India,
2nd July, 1908.
My Dear Sir,
I desire to thank you for your courtesy in sending me a
copy of the Life of your Father. It could not fail to recall many
news and scenes of much interest to me.
I am.
Yours truly,
A. H. L. FRASER.
M. N. VBNKATASWAMY, Esq.
232
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
‘ Glenham House,*
Saxemundham, Suffolk,
July, 1908,
Dear Sir,
I must thank you very much for the copy of your father’s
life that you have sent me. I shall read it with the greatest
interest for I knew him before he had the hotel at the Nagpur
Railway Station and took charge of the first Nagpur Club. I
knew him as the ever-ready handy man, always willing and
capable of helping in any entertainment that might be started.
My interest in the book is all the greater in that I was intimately
connected with Nagpur and the Central Provinces from 1864 to
1891. Even before that my Regiment, the Royal Scots (then
Royal Regiment), was stationed at Kamptee.
A history of the Central Provinces from the time Mr. Temple
became Chief Commissioner is much wanted.
Valuable information could be collected from the few old
inhabitants in all districts that remember that time. Copies of
the contemporary local newspapers contain much of interest.
You are evidently just the man to write it.
Thanking you again,
I am.
Yours sincerely,
A. BLOOMFIELD.
' School House,’
Burghead, Scotland,
Mr. M. N. VENKATASWAMI,
31st August, 1908.
•'The Retreat,’ Hyderabad,
DECCAN.
My Dear Sir,
It was with the greatest pleasure that I received to-day your
Life of M, Nagloo, chiefly on account of old association with you
yourself when both of us were young. It was very good of you
to remember me and to show that you remember me by honour-
ing me with this product of your pen.
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
233
I had not the advantage of your father’s acquaintance though
I knew him full well by sight and passed by his hotel every day
to and from my work. Strange to say, your father is the only
native of India whose name I had mentioned to me casually by
a stranger here after my return to this country. You may
remember, perhaps, that a photograph of the Hislop College
students was taken in your time— I think it was the Morris College
—a photograph containing the Rev. Cooper ; you yourself are
standing at one side. Well, after my return to Scotland, I was
showing this photo to a gentleman, whose name I forget, a
stranger to me, when he said quietly, * Nagpur, you have been
there, have you ? Do you know Nagloo ? ’ I said : ‘ Yes. I
know who Nagloo is ; he keeps the station hotel. This (said I
pointing to your likeness) is Nagloo’ s son. The gentleman
took up the photo and examined it with much interest. It turned
out that this gentleman had stayed in yourJather’s hotel for
many months or years (I cannot tell how long). He was engaged
in superintending the erection of telegraph poles. This incident
may interest you, and you can make what use of it you like, if
you are reprinting the book.
I see that you are engaged in the .service of His Highness
the Nizam and I hope that you are healthy, comfortable, and
happy— all of which blessings, I am thankful to say, are mine.
1 am.
Yours sincerely,
Jas. BREMNER.
South Manse,
Elgin,
9 -IX- 1908,
My Dear Venkataswami,
I have to acknowledge with many thanks the gift of your
book, and congratulate you on taking a place among the ranks
of authors. It is a pity that the revision was not done more
carefully for though you wrote English well, you could not be
expected to attain perfection, and a little care would have made
the book more presentable. It must have taken you a great
deal of time and labour. You have been very frank in telling
the story of your father’s life — perhaps too frank for English
30
234
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
readers. Biit I congratulate you on the completion of what to
you was an act of filial piety.
Mrs. Lendrum and the four children are all well, I am glad
to say, and though I shall never be so strong as I was before
I went to India I am very well and manage to do a good deal
of work. I see your old friend, Mr. James Bremner, occasion-
ally ; he lives about eight miles from here in a small town
called Burg head. We always talk about India when we meet.
With kind regards and best wishes,
I am,
Yours very truly,
JOHN LENDRUM.
C/o The Capital and Counties Bank,
Great Malvern,
England,
September 25, 1908^
My Dear Sir,
I have to thank you very much for your very kind letter of
the 30th July and for the book which you so kindly sent me,
and which I shall peruse in the spirit of the beautiful motto on
the Title page which I thus interpret — Gentleness, Kindness,
Generosity, Truthfulness, Gratitude, Harmlessness (or Consi-
deration for Others). By such qualities as these True Nobility
shines forth Conspicuous.
I am at present engaged myself on an Author’s work and am
able to appreciate all the more the loving labour you have
devoted to the life of your much-respected Father. I hope to
let you have my opinion on it, if it be considered worth having,
and it will, I hope, be given in that spirit that an author owes to
another Author’s work.
I am in England and have been availing myself of a well-
earned furlough (though I say it) to write a series of four
volumes of sketches of Rulers of India,
With kind regards,
Believe me,
Yours very truly,
G. D. OSWELL.
OPINIONS ON THfe WORKS ^35
Hyderabad,
Deccan,
March^ 1911,
Dear Mr. Nagloo,
It was very kind of you to have given me an opportunity of
dipping into the biography of your father. It carried me back
to the days when I began my official life in Nagpur and put up
at your father’s hotel. I am sure that anybody that reads it will
find much to amuse and interest him in bis moments of leisure.
Yours truly,
A. HYDARI.
Accountant-General’s Office,
P. W. Branch Audit Office,
Dated 25 May^ 1911,
Dear Mr. Venkataswamy,
I am very much amused to read the. Life of your worthy
father written by you. The style is quite entertaining, and your
story is fr£mk and reminiscent of the good old days.
Yours sincerely,
JAGAT PRASAD.
Delhi,
PUNJAUB.
My Dear Sir,
Thank you very much for so kindly sending me a copy of.
your book {The Story of Bohbili) and also lending me the very
interesting book which I now return. I have read it with the
greatest interest and it gives a vivid picture of the days now
gone by.
Yours very truly,
C. F. ANDREWS,
1 was away in England last or should have returned the book
before.
230
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
Mr. M. N. Venkataswamy, M.R.A.S., M.F.L.S., has brought
out a neat Life of M, Nagloo (Mardara Nagaya), the Pioneer of
Hotel Enterprise, in the Central Provinces.— The Hindu, August
6, 1908.
Reviews of the book in extemo have appeared in the Modern
Review (Professor Jadunath Sarkar, m.a., Premchand Roychand
student) and Hindustan Review (Mr. S. Z. Ali, b.a.).
THE STORY OF BOB DILI
The Story of Bobbili by Mr. M. N. Venkataswamy, M.R.A.S.,
is a rendering in English of a Telugu tale as narrated to the
writer while he was yet a boy by a wandering minstrel who had
sought the hospital roof of his father. The main interest of the
story is centred in the siege of Bobbili in the early part of the
eighteenth century and the events that led to it. Rivalry
between the rulers of Bobbili and Pooseepad, two neighbouring
principalities, to stand high in the estimation of their Lord
Paramount the Nizam, resulted in the cutting off water supply
to the former. An affray consequent upon this led to open
hostilities and Bobbili was laid siege to when the ruler was
absent from the capital. The description of the valour with
which the besieged held out to the very end, the courage and
strength with which the heroes' of Bobbili fought, the utter
annihilation of the aggressors’ forces by the ruler of Bobbili
who came to the rescue, though at a late stage, are told in the
characteristic style of Indian folklore, and the writer is to b€l
congratulated of the retentive memory which has enabled him to
reproduce what he had received in his early boyhood. The book
contains a vivid picture of feuds and friendships between rival
chieftains in the period prior to the advent of the British in India.
The Folklore of Southern India has not received the attention it
deserves, and Mr. Venkataswamy has taken a step in the right
direction; in having chosen to tread the very rich but often-
neglected field of study. The book opens with a frontispiece
cefntaihihg the photographs of King George V., His Highness
the Nizam, and the present Maharaja of Bobbili. It is printed
dPiNtoNg oif THfi Woillfg
i
by Messrs. C. Veeranria & Sons, Government Printers, Hydera-
bad, Deccan. — The Madras Mail (Madras).
Mr. M. N. Venkataswamy’s Story of Bohbili is a reproduc-
tion of the story of the foundation and sack of the place as
related to him by a wandering Telugu minstrel about forty years
ago. The author is already known to the reading Indian world
as the writer of a biography of his father and by means of
his notes which he calls commentaries he has brought in
authentic history and modern topography so as to do away
with the cavilling of the critical historian. Every lover of the
folklore of the Telugu country will do well to go through it. —
The Hindu (Madras).
Bobbili is now a well known name even outside the Madras
Presidency as its Maha;raja was the first Indian Member of the
Madras Executive Council. The appointment came in for
deservedly severe criticism, but the Maharaja, during the brief
year of his membership, is supposed to have done better than
people had reason to anticipate. However this might be, there
is no question that he is an excellent Zemindar who had adminis-
tered the affairs of his State in such a manner as to make it
prosperous as well as — and this naturally is more important— to
bring contentment to his tenantry. Bobbili, as is well known in
the South, had an almost romantic part ; it is of historic impor-
tance ; its story is sung in towns and villages by the townsmen
as well as the rustic in a highly pitched tone and Bobbili was the
great foe of Vizianagram and the battle that was fought by them,
the latter with the assistance of Bussy, is the subject of the
ballad. The story was lately published in English by Messrsr
C. Veeranna & Sons of Secunderabad. Its author is Mr. M. N.
Venkataswami, M.R.A.S., and Professor Jadunath Sarkar has
supplied an interest foreword.^ Professor Sarkar says: — ‘Our
story-teller’s character-painting is done in bold, if primitive
touthea, and^withdfitaialSc apptopriat^^ of speech. Each of
the personages leaved his own^ peculiar impress oh otar mind;
we feel that none of them is a shndbwy creation 6f a racked
238
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
literary imagination or a colourless production of one type.
Mr. Venkataswami has scrupulously preserved the old phraseo-
logy, the crude oaths and threats, the pious ejaculations amidst
speeches — so vividly suggestive of the dramatic narrator under
the tamarind tree — the frequent repetitions, the quaint imagery,
the pithy sayings which clinch a paragraph, as he heard them from
his minstrels. These features will distinctly enhance the value
of the story to students of Indian thought. They may repel the
general reader ; but, if so, that lazy person will have lost a good
treat. To one who is not deterred by the mere externals of a
piece, 'J he Story oi Bobbili does not lack charm and pathos of
its own, quite apart from its value as a picture of ancient
manners. It is a very interesting ‘ human document \ The
author himself supplies an informing preface, a summary of the
story, and comments and glossary The Leader (Allahabad).
The story of the foundation and sack of Bobbili in the Madras
Presidency, as narrated to the author by a wandering Telugu
minstrel more than forty years ago, with an historical introduc-
tion. The story itself relates to the year 1757, and gives a vivid
picture of the life and manners of the period. — The Athcsneum
(London) .
The following passage reproduced from the Foreword by
Prof. Jadunath Sarkar, m.a., will explain the scope and character
of the book
‘ Mr. M. N. Venkataswami has here reproduced the story of
the foundation and sack of Bobbili as narrated by a wandering
ministrel more than forty years ago. In preserving this tale
Mr. Venkataswami has done us a distinct service. The story,
though relating to 1757, is a vivid picture of ancient manners and
its characters truly belong to the Epic age. It is a very in-
teresting human' document.— The Modern Review (Calcutta).
A very interesting account of Bobbili with an Introduction
by Prof. Jadunath Sarkar. The author shows originality in this
work . — Modem World (Madras).
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
239
From
Wesleyan Mission,
March 10, 192S,
REV. J. C. KNIGHT-ANSTEY,
Nizam ABAD,
Hyderabad (Deccan),
INDIA.
Dear Mr. Venkataswami,
I thank yon very much for the copy of ' The Siory of Bobbili. ’
I think you have done a very valuable service to Indian Literature
in your patient investig^ation and skilful presentation of the
Story. I have not been able to read it all yet, but I have read
some and shall carefully read it more.
In my efforts to acquire the Telugii language and to get to
know the Telugu people I have myself often listened to the tale
of the wandering bard. You are perfectly right when you say
that the villager who has few amusements will sit for hours
listening to such tales. The wandering bard is pushed out of
existence, as is natural, by the spread of education and the
multiplication of literature, but the service he had rendered in
the past should not be forgotten. I myself should like to see
some of his stories preserved in Telugu, much of the pith and
acquaintness of the narrator is lost even in the best translation.
I trust you will continue your literary labours and that God's
blessing may rest upon you and yours.
With many thanks and kind regards,
Believe me.
Yours faithfully,
J. C. KNIGHT-ANSTEY.
Indore, C. L,
. 5th May, 1913,
Dear Sir,
Thank »you for your letter. I am very sorry not to have
acknowledged your book on Bobbili sooner. It must have been
249
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
a great interest to you to write this history of your native place
and I. am very pleased to have the book to which I have given
an honourable place on my shelves.
Yours truly,
B. J. D. COLVIN.
Burghead,
Scotland,
8 /^ Jnly^ 1913.
My Dear Venkataswami,
I must thank you heartily for your kindness, in sending me a
copy of your book, The Story of Bobbili. You have, indeed,
rendered the prophecy of non-effect. Your book shows that
you have a keen interest not only in historic tradition, but also
in human life. Without the latter quality, the former is apt to
degenerate into Dry-as-Dust chronicling. I have read The Story
of Bobbili with appreciation of the humour and gusto of the
narrative. I only wish that the redoubtable Paiipa Rao of the
fierce moustaches had come off a little more successful in the end.
The doughty deeds of the Bobbilians recalled to my memory
the Homeric blows of Diomede and Ajax ; their appetites too
were as good as that of Polyphemus.
You never thought of writing a book in your own native
language, I suppose. I understand quite well that the fit
audience is among those who understand English. At the same
time I have little doubt that the true literature of India (modern
I mean) will be not an English but a vernacular literature.
Some one who will take infinite pains to turn beautiful phrases
and express living and frequent thought in the real language
of the people will create a public for himself. Russian literature
to-day is considered by some the most vital in Europe. Well,
it is not more than fifty or sixty years since the writers of Rus-
sia began to use their own language. They wr®te French
before, but with no power. Since they used their own language,
. they produced masterpieces, so that foreigners now learn Russian
tp pet at them. The same is true of German literature, only
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
241
that it is a century older than Russian ; in the eighteenth century
German writers despised their vernacular, they wrote in French,
but again to little purpose. But it needed a genius to take the
first step — a Tolstoi in Russia, a Goethe in Germany, a Dante
in Italy, a Venkataswami in India ?
With kindest regards,
I am, Vours,
JAMES BREMNER.
78, Rajpur Road,
Delhi,
16th January^ 1914.
Dear Mr. Venkataswami,
I have been unusually long in replying to your letter of the
28th ultimo for which I must beg your pardon . . . Your ‘ The
Story of Bobbin ’ was delightful reading. Being an ignoramus
in antiquarian topics, I cannot give an opinion about the merits
of the book from that point of view.
JAGAT PRASAD.
606-1
Private Secretary,
Madras.
Madras Governor's Camp,
India,
9th August^ 1915.
Referring to your letter of 7th July 1915, I am desired by
His Excellency Lord Pentland to inform you that your book
‘ The Story of Bobbin \ is very interesting.
31
Yours truly,
H. C. STEPHEN.
242
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
M-R-Ry. M. N- VENKATASWAMI, Avt., M.R.A.S.,
Tun Rbtrsat,
Hyderabad (Deccan).
South Manse, Elgin,
Scotland,
7ih September, 1915,
My Dear Vei^rataswami,
It is Yefy careless ol me to be so long in acknowledging
your kindness in writing to me and sending me a copy of your
latest book. I have to congratulate you on the good bit of
work you have done. It is a pity that the list of ‘ Errata ’ should
be so long, but very careful reading is needed to prevent such
blemishes. Before you publish next time, you might get some
one to read the proofs for you. It is a tedious business, but
some interested friend would do it for you. The story itself
I am scarcely fit to criticize. It was certainly worth preserving
and in these days of war it takes on a new interest. Some of us.
thought the days of war were wearing over, but we were
Yrtong, and war is to-day almost the only thing we can think of
♦ # #
With all good wishes,
I am, yours very truly,
JOHN LENDRUM.
Wesleyan Mission House,
No. 1718 Secunderabad,
India,
November 16 th 1915.
Dear Mr. Venkataswami,
It is so long since I read The Story of Bobbili that I have not
a very clear remembrance of the impression it made on me.
So far as I do recollect, however, it was a story of great interest
and well worth telling. I only wish that others who have a
command of Telugu and are interested in the past story of their
would do as good a bit of work.
With congratulations and kind regards.
Believe me.
Yours sincerely,
F. LAMB.
OPINIONS ON THE W0EE6
i0
Hvd*rabap,
Deccan,
27^A February, 1916,
Dear Mr. Venkataswami,
Many thanks for your having kindly given me a copy of
‘ The Story of Bohbili\ I was very much impressed by your
industry in devoting yourself to historical and literary pursuits
notwithstanding the busy time you must have in office. I have
read many portions of the book with great interest, I hope you
will get sufficient encouragement especially from a rich and
enlightened nobleman like the Maharaja of Bobbili for the way
in which you have told the story of his State.
Yours sincerely,
A. HYDARI.
Judge's House,
Nasik,
31 si March, 1917.
Dear Mr. Venkataswami,
I acknowledged your book The Story of Bobbili shortly after
its receipt in England. But my letter seems to have gone
astray. * * * I am afraid I cannot s?iy more about the book
than that it amused and interested me at the time.
Yours very truly,
C. A. KINCAID.
Rev. P. T. SHIPHAM,
Wesleyan High School,
Secunderabad (DECCAN).
Present Address :
24, BlSHQPSaATE,
London, E.C.,
January 23rd, 1921.
**#*«*
' ‘ ..i. . .
Dear Mr.
I neturniog ypttr book by this mail, ucidier a separate
cover. *I trust it will reach you safely. I have found it very
244
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
interesting and must congratulate you on achieving your ends so
successfully. I have not tampered with it : it would have been
presumption on my part to have attempted to amend your style.
There are, 'of [course, frequent printer’s errors, and it is a shame
that your printer should have been guilty of so many. You
seem to have noted those that matter.
It is a very interesting story, written in a style that breathes
of the original, and^I^sincerely hope that your efforts with it will
meet with highest success.
* * * * * *
Believe me.
Yours very sincerely,
F. T. SHIPHAM.
TULSEMMAH AND NAGAYA ; OR FOLK
STORIES FROM INDIA
The folktales of every country, which are handed down from
generation to generation by word of mouth, oftentimes give an
astonishing insight into the habits, manners and customs of
by-gone times, though they may strike the superficial and
unobservant reader only as a bundle of primitive ideas and
superstitions. It is on this account that the collection of folk-
tales has occupied the attention of several diligent students of
anthropology, and has always been welcomed. Mr. M. N.
Venkataswamy, of Hyderabad, Deccan, has collected a few of
such Indian stories into a book of nearly 120 pages (Methodist
Publishing House, Madras). Mr. J. Bremner, Professor, Hislop
College, Nagpur, has written a short foreword to the work in
which he pays a compliment to the author’s ability in story-
telling. — The Madras Mail, August 30, 1918.
Mr. Venkataswami has already written several books on
Indian subjects, but he has never written so interesting as this
his latest volume. Somewhere or other he has ^collected a
.remarkable^ number of folkstories that might with advantage be
Ot>INIONS OM THIS WORKS
made available for English children. The best in our opinion
is the first. It tells how a certain Indian queen incurred the
anger of the king by always presenting him with sons when
he wanted a daughter. At last she did give birth to a daughter,
but her sons, fearing their father’s anger if another son was
born, had already fled into the forest. Their mother killed
herself with grief and the king married again a lady who
persecuted the baby -daughter. When the latter grew up she
ran into the woods and looked for her brothers. She found
them and lived happily with them until a wicked rakshashi
turned them into wild beasts. Then the princess married a
raja, but the rakshashi pursued her and turned her into a bird
and passed herself off as the king’s wife. However, all came
right in the end. The princess and her brothers recovered
their former shapes. The raja killed the rakshashi and had
her body pounded up into small pieces and then fed the crows
with them . — Times of bidia (Bombay), September 18, 1918.
It is a well written, well printed and well got up little
volume of the indigenous people of India. Mr. Venkataswamy
has written fine readable books like the Life of M. Nagloo
(reviewed by us), The Story of Bobbin^ besides the present neat
volume of Folk Stories from India. Some of them undoubtedly
enable us to understand the mental outlook of the original
inhabitants of India before any Aryan set his foot on the soil.
Mr. Venkataswami lives in Southern India, where the pre-Aryan
background has not yet been so completely effaced as in
Aryavarta. He has used his opportunities well in this ‘Folklorists’
paradise ’ and has arranged his collections in groups headed
‘ Stories of the Marvellous or Supernatural, Stories of Adventure
and Romance, Comic Exploits of Noodles, Stories illustrative of
Tribal or Caste Eccentricities, National Gods, Beast Stories
etc.’ We have only one suggestion to make; he should have
mentioned the district where and tribe (or caste) among whom
each story is Modern Review (Jadunath Sarkar)*
Octoberr,1918
I am very pleased to see another little book by my old
friend Mr. Venkataswami. ‘ Folk Stories from India ’ can be read
24 $
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
superficially and little be gathered from them but amusement ;
but they can also be studied and a great deal learned from them
of the people to whom they still appeal.
I have out pointed to the author the desirability of adopting
the recognized method of transliterating Indian words, but the
book bears the marks of so much care and industry that one is
loath to criticize it too harshly.
I trust that Mr. Venkataswamy will continue his researches
in the by-ways of Indian Literature and give us the benefit of
them in some future work.
The affectionate dedication of the book throws important
sidelights on some of the best features of Indian family life.
J. C. KNIGHT-ANSTEY.
Ramkot, Hyderabad,
I4ik September^ 1918.
Hyderabad (DECCAN),
Education Offices,
Hh April, 1919,
I have read with pleasure and profit Mr. M. N. Venkata-
swamy *s ‘ folks Stories from India The author is doing an
important service to the Indian renaissance which we are witness-
ing by thus giving literary expression to the life and thought
of the people. Every lover of things Indian must welcome
this attempt to give literary form to the tradition handed down
among the simple folk of India from father to son. The author
^writes in a simple, readable style, and the get-up of the book is
attractive. I sincerely hope his endeavours will receive the
encouragement and appreciation they so well deserve.
N. G. WBLINKAR.
Chief Inspector of Secondary Schools s
H. E. H. The Nisamls Government,
Hyderabad, Deccan.
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
247
Office of the Bishop of Madras,
Teynampet, Madras, S. W.
(On Tour),
Bangalore,
May^ 1919.
Bishopric of
Madras.
Dear Sir,
In reply to your letter of the 22nd instant the Bishop desires
me to say that he has read your book of Folk Stories from India
with interest and thinks such works are a valuable contribution
to the anthropological study of the country.
Yours faithfully,
GAN. WRIGHT,
Bishop's Chaplain.
Office of the Bishop of Madras^
Wellington.
October 4, 1919.
Bishopric of
Madras.
Dear Mr. Venkataswami,
Forgive my not having answered your letter of September 6
last before this. I read your book on Folk Stories from India of
which you kindly gave me a copy with great interest. It gives,
I think, a very good idea of Folk stories that are current among
the masses of the Indian people and play so large a part in their
lives.
Believe me,
Yours sincerely,
, HENRY MADRAS.
M. N. VENKATASWAMI. Esq., M.R.A.S.,
, • The Retreat,
Hyderabad (DECCAN).
248
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
From
Rev. G. E. BROWN, m.a.,
Chaplain.
Church House,
Hydbraead (DECCAN),
6th November, 1919.
Mr. Venkataswamy is a‘ diligent student of Indian folklore.
I have too little knowledge of that subject to review his book
but feel sure that Mr. Venkataswamy ought to make further
contributions to so interesting a subject.
G. E. BROWN.
107-1 Machua Bazaar Street,
Calcutta,
l7th August y 1920.
Dr. GAURANGANATH BANERJEA, m.a., ph.d., F.R.S.A.,
University Lecturer on A7ici€7it History.
To
M. N. venkataswamy, Esq., M.R.A.S., M.F.L.S., etc.,
The Retreat,
HYDERABAD.
Dear Mr. Venkataswamy,
Many thanks for your kind letter of the 31st July, 1920^ and
for your book on Folklore. I have gone through the book and
find the Stories interesting and well arranged. I only would
have liked that you might have included some folktales from
Hindustan proper — I mean the folklore current in the Gangetic
plain and in Bengal. That would have lent an additional charm
to your very readable book.
I am,
Yours sincerely,
GAURANGANATH BANERJEA.
OPINIONS ON THE WORKS
249
Biographical Memoir of R. T. H. Griffith, m.a., c.i.e.,
attached to the large type edition of the translation of his
Ramayana.
Nagpur, C. P.
lOth November, 1915.
To
Mr. M. N. VENKATASWAMI, M.R.A.S.,
Thh Retreat,
HYDERABAD.
Dear Sir,
• * It was extremely kind and mindful of you to send
me the volume of the Ramayana and I read your own brief
biography of R. T. H. Griffith with much interest. The
perusal of the Ramayana itself is a pleasure yet in store * * •
I am, with kind regards.
Yours sincerely,
JAS. BREMNER.
PRINTED IN INDIA BY GEORGE KENNETH
AT THE DIOCESAN PRESS. MADRAS— 1923. C17117
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11